


Persona 4 Golden: Another Story

by carminagadelica



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Always a WIP, Contains new Social Links, F/M, Female Protagonist, Minor canon changes, Mixture of events from the game and both anime series, Retelling, Safe to read sequel, Slow Burn, Tags will be updated as the story progresses, Ueno Megumi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-24 02:19:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 104,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10732128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carminagadelica/pseuds/carminagadelica
Summary: With her life in a constant state of boredom, Megumi Ueno was a normal teenage girl, albeit dissatisfied and disappointed. Her world would be shaken up when her frequently-absent parents sent her to Yasoinaba to reside with her uncle and cousin for a full year. She was fairly certain that life would be no different in the countryside. However...With a string of murders, a world inside the television, and the power of Persona in her hands, Megumi's 'boring world' would be challenged. She must forge new bonds and uncover hidden truths, or else her future would be forever lost in the never-ending fog...Sequel to 'Persona 3 Portable: Her Story'





	1. Prologue: Blue-Tinted Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Persona 4, the original story and characters belong to Atlus.  
> I am a fan who owns nothing and is not looking to make profit.  
> This work is created for entertainment only.
> 
> Italicized words represent a voice from the unconscious or flashback.  
> / ... / represents Megumi's inner thoughts.
> 
> Uh, hi! :]
> 
> Another one of my crazy projects, and the one that has actually been worked on more.  
> As with P5HT, this is another 'what-if-Atlus-makes-a-FeMC-route-for-P4G' answer. If retellings and female protag-chans aren't you thing, feel free to bounce outta here. My feelings won't be hurt.  
> For a while, I had the tag "she's not a genderbent version of Yu Narukami'. I decided to take it down, as the nature of Persona protagonists are largely interpreted by the player. This is more or less my interpretation of the protagonist of this story, as with the other two. You're free to view her as an OC, a genderbent version of the canon protagonist, or even both. :] It's kinda hard to categorize her as either or. lol
> 
> Please be aware that my writing is not up to par and I am always learning. You will encounter tense issues and possibly other errors that I may miss. I make every effort to correct these in a later date. Thank you for your patience!
> 
> As of Chapter 21, my current beta reader is Nightwing909. Thank you, sweetie. ♥
> 
> As always, I am welcome to constructive feedback. Like with any art, we always strive to improve our craft.  
> And finally, enjoy. :]

**???**

 

To most people, foggy weather was a nuisance. A person would have difficulty navigating through it, with no buildings, no people, and no street lights to help guide them through. In this situation, how would one move on? Would they dare to move forward or backward? Would they even stay in their place and wait for something to happen instead?

A blue limousine cruised along the bumpy pavement amidst the fog and stopped in front of a girl. She was of average height, her long dark gray hair was looped into two circular tails. Her outfit consisted of a long-sleeved black shirt with a lacy white poncho over it and a pair of black ankle boots accompanied her denim jeans. Her gray eyes blinked at the limo pulled up in front of her. Out of a whim, she chose to open the door and step inside.

She looked around the interior of the limo, taking in the gorgeous details. When she looked to the other end, she saw two people sitting there. The man that was looking at her appeared to be an older well-dressed gentleman with bloodshot eyes and a long nose. The other figure was a mature-looking woman with platinum blonde hair and dressed in blue with a thick book resting on her lap.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room. It seems that we have a guest with an intriguing destiny...” The man chuckled as he revealed a grin. “My name is Igor… I am delighted to make your acquaintance.”

The girl blinked in confusion. She thought that this was supposed to be a dream, but it felt very different.

“This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter… Normally, only those who are bound by a contract can enter this place… but here you are, my dear. Your presence here may mean that such fate awaits you. Now then… why don't you introduce yourself?”

She began to frown as she questioned the validity of this dream. “… Megumi Ueno.”

“Hm… I see.” Igor nodded. “Now, let's take a look into your future, shall we?” Out of thin air materialized what appeared to be tarot cards onto the small table in front of him. “Do you believe in fortune telling? Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the results are different every time.” Igor then chuckled to himself. “Life follows the same principles, does it not?”

Megumi said nothing as she watched Igor carefully. She could already tell that he was no ordinary man. As he flipped a card over, it revealed a tower being struck by lightning.

“Hm, the Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent.”

Megumi blinked but chose to remain silent. The gentleman decided to continue his reading.

“The card indicating the future beyond that is...” Igor flipped another card to reveal a moon-like image. “The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery'. Very interesting, indeed...”

“… Is there a reason why you're telling me all this?” Megumi bluntly asked.

Igor only chuckled at her frankness. “It seems that you will encounter misfortune at your destination and a great mystery will be imposed on you. In the coming days, you will enter a contract of sorts and return here.”

“… That doesn't answer my question.” The gray-haired girl said, her frown unmoved.

“Hm… But I should tell you this. If this mystery goes unsolved, your future will be forever lost. This is the turning point of your destiny. There is no other way, my dear.”

“…..” Megumi wasn't sure to think of these words spoken by Igor. She wanted to ask if this was a dream, but no words would form.

“My duty is to assist guests that such disasters do not happen.” The mysterious gentleman then realized the woman sitting next to him. “Ah, I have neglected to introduce my assistant. This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself.”

The woman with the piercing yellow eyes looked at Megumi and gently nodded. “I am pleased to meet you. I am here to accompany you through your journey.”

“We shall attend to more details another time. Until then, farewell…”


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome to the Countryside

**Monday, April 11th 2011**

 

“Mmmm…”

Megumi Ueno groaned a bit as she woke up. What kind of dream was that? She had never met those kinds of people before. As she shook off her grogginess, her gray eyes began to scan the area.

She was on a train that was going to Yasoinaba. Her parents decided to go overseas for their work and leave her behind. It had not bothered her since they were not home very often, but, she found it irritating that they have done this to her. She was forced to leave behind the city life, the one constant that she was accustomed to.

When Megumi was growing up, her parents would move around to different parts of Japan. When she was getting used to one place, she found herself in another unknown area. She used to complain about it the first couple of times, but she adjusted to this kind of situation. With that in mind, the situation of living with her uncle and cousin was no different, except the obvious fact that Yasoinaba was the opposite of a metropolis.

Megumi recalled to when her teacher announced to her classmates that she was transferring to Yasogami High School. Some of them appeared to be upset that she was leaving, but they just wished her good luck and that was it. The same could be said for her old tennis club, who had expressed their disappointment in seeing a team member go.

 _/This is just part of life/_ , Megumi concluded.

Her head began to dip forward and she closed her eyes to sleep. However, the flashbacks of the dream she just had echoed in her mind, with the long-nosed man and the mature lady with the exotic eyes flashed before her. The gray-haired girl jerked awake and proceeded to grumble. What a start this journey was going to be.

Not before long, the train announced that they had arrived at Yasoinaba. Megumi was thankful for this as she grabbed her luggage and walked outside. As she looked around, the weather was slightly foggy. The town itself was very different than the tall and flashy buildings she remembered.

“Hey! Over here!”

Megumi’s head picked up and she could see a somewhat familiar man waving to her. A little girl dressed in pink, white, and brown hid behind him. The man sported a dark gray shirt, a red tie, and black slacks while he had his black jacket over his shoulder. As Megumi walked over to them, the little girl retreated even further behind.

“Well, you’re more lovely in person than in your photo.” The man spoke up. “Welcome to Inaba. I’m Ryotaro Dojima and I’ll be looking after you. Let’s see… I’m your mother’s younger brother… and that about sums it up.”

Megumi recognized the man, despite the length of time she had last seen him. “It’s been a long time, Uncle.”

“I’ll say,” Dojima agreed. “You’ve really grown, Megumi. I still remember a time when you were in diapers…”

Megumi cracked a small smile and then noticed that the little girl behind Dojima peeked out. When she waved at her, the little girl's shyness escalated and she returned to the man's shadow.

“This here’s my daughter. Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin.” Dojima said as he coaxed the little girl out of hiding.

Nanako shyly looked up at Megumi and appeared to be at a loss for words. “…. ‘lo…”

“Why’re you so shy for?” Dojima started to chuckle until Nanako smacked his leg. “Ow! Haha…” The man feigned injury as he continued to laugh. Megumi couldn’t help but smile a little bit as she watched the two carefully. Her uncle appeared to be a good person and her little cousin was quite adorable.

“My car’s over there.” Dojima pointed out as he and Nanako began to head to it. Megumi walked a few steps until…

“Hey.”

“Hm?” Megumi turned around and found a strange girl with dark hair holding a piece of paper. She wore a white sleeveless shirt with a black tie, a red plaid skirt, black and white striped stockings and black boots. Megumi would admit that she had never seen anyone wear this kind of outfit before.

“You dropped this,” The girl said as she handed the paper with Dojima’s address to Megumi.

“Ah, thank you,” Megumi said as she took the paper back.

“I didn’t do anything,” The girl said, her eyes darted to the side. “I just picked up a piece of paper, that’s all.” She then ended the conversation by walking away.

“… Okay then.” Megumi said, perplexed by this strange encounter.

“Hey, what’s wrong, Megumi? You coming?” Dojima called out.

“Oh, yeah. I’m coming.” Megumi hurried over.

~*~

Before Megumi's party reached the Dojima household, her uncle decided that a pit stop was needed and the trio reached a gas station within Inaba’s shopping district. As Dojima pulled up, an attendant came out to greet them.

“Hi! Welcome to Moel!”

Dojima turned to Nanako. “Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?”

“Uh-huh,” Nanako said as she, Dojima and Megumi got out of the car.

The gas station attendant overheard the conversation and helped Nanako with the direction of the restroom. “It’s in the back, to your left. Do you know which way’s left? It’s the side you don’t hold your chopsticks in.”

“I know…” Nanako grumbled as she walked off.

The attendant then noticed Megumi, as she was looking around. “Are you taking a trip?”

“No, we just went to pick her up. She just moved in from the big city.” Dojima said.

“The city, huh…” The attendant said, his gaze fixed on Megumi. As soon as the teenager glanced at the attendant, he quickly shifted his full attention back to Dojima.

“Fill up my car while you’re at it,” Dojima said. “Regular’s fine.”

“Ah, right away, sir!” The attendant nodded as he began to get to work as Dojima walked off to have himself a smoke. Megumi watched the gas attendant do his job, until…

“Are you in high school, Miss?”

“Uh? Oh… yeah…” Megumi said, startled that the attendant initiated a conversation with her.

“Does it surprise a city girl to see how little there is out here?” The attendant asked as he stopped his work for a moment. “There won’t be very much for you to do. I’m sure that you’ll either be hanging out with friends or work part-time jobs.” He received his answer in a form of a shrug from the girl. “Oh, by the way, we’re actually looking for part-time help here. Why don’t you give it some thought? We don’t mind if you’re a student.” He smiled as he extended his hand out to Megumi.

Megumi looked at it for a moment and without a second thought, she reached out and shook his hand. “I’ll think about it, maybe after I adjust here.”

“I look forward to it,” The attendant smiled but then noticed that Nanako was returning from the restroom. “Oh! I should get back to work. Excuse me, Miss.”

As Megumi noticed that Nanako was looking at her, suddenly her head began to spin. She balanced herself by holding on the side of the car and rubbed one of her temples with her free hand. Confusion was setting in her head, followed by questions. She was just fine a moment ago, so what has caused this to happen?

“Are you okay..?” Nanako asked as she looked at her cousin. “Are you carsick? You don’t look too good…”

Megumi pondered if the long trip was the cause for this sudden ailment. She tried to muster a reassuring response, but the dizziness was still there. Dojima returned from his smoke break when he also noticed Megumi.

“What’s wrong? You okay, Megumi?” Dojima asked.

“I’m okay…” Megumi said, but the tone of her voice did not reassure Dojima or Nanako. “Just… exhausted, maybe…”

“I’m not surprised,” Dojima said. “That trip must be longer than what you’re used to. We should go ahead and head to my house.”

Megumi agreed and the trio of herself, Dojima and Nanako went back inside the car. Fortunately for her, the dizziness had begun to subside.

~*~

 

They had arrived at the Dojima household, which It was a small house that integrated with the atmosphere of the residential area. This was different for Megumi, as her old homes were apartment buildings. This little house would be her home for one year…

Evening rolled in and everyone settled in for dinner. As Dojima opened himself a can of beer, Nanako and Megumi settled for soda drinks.

“Alright, let’s have a toast,” Dojima said as he raised his can up. The girls followed suit and all three drank to the arrival of Megumi.

“So, your mom and dad are busy as always, huh?” Dojima asked.

“Yeah…” Megumi said as she started to poke her sushi plate. “They’re usually not home, but then they decided to go overseas. I actually wanted to go with them, but…”

“That’s understandable,” Dojima said. “But it’s better for you to continue your education. Still… getting stuck here because of them, it must be rough.”

Megumi nonchalantly shrugged. “It’s not my first time moving to a new place. But it’s only for a year, so it’ll be alright.”

Dojima only nodded. “Well, you’ll have someone here on a daily basis since it’s just me and Nanako. So long as you’re here, you’re part of the family. Make yourself at home.”

Megumi blinked for a moment. She had not heard those words spoken to her in a long time. “….. Thank you, Uncle…”

Dojima began to chuckle. “C’mon, there’s no need to be so formal. Look, you’re making Nanako all tense.”

The silent Nanako noticed the attention of her father and her cousin had shifted onto her and she began to fidget in her spot.

“Well anyway…” Dojima said as he picked up his chopsticks. “Let’s eat.”

Before all three could dig in, a cell phone beeped, which caused Dojima's eyebrows to furrow.

“Ugh, who’s calling at this hour?” Dojima grabbed his cell phone and answered it. “Dojima speaking. ….. Uh-huh. ….. Mm-hmm… I see… So where is it? Uh-huh…” Then he sighed and stood up. “Alright, I’m on my way.” He finished his call and grumbled to himself for a moment.

“Is everything okay…?” Megumi asked.

“Sorry, but I gotta go and take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me.” Dojima said as he started to get ready to head out as Nanako stood up from her seat cushion. “I don’t know how late I’ll be. Nanako, you help Megumi out, okay?”

Nanako frowned but nodded a little. “Okay…” Megumi noticed her little cousin’s face and realized something. This was familiar.

“Well, I’m off,” Dojima said as he slid the door open. “It’s raining out here…” He commented before closing the door, the rain became more apparent.

Nanako then sat down and silence brewed between her and Megumi. Before the gray-haired girl said anything, the little girl pushed a button on a remote. As the TV turned on, it was on the weather report, which reported that the rain was expected to stay through tomorrow.

“… Let’s eat,” Nanako spoke up as she begun to dig into her food. Megumi watched her until she decided to break the ice.

“It must be tough…” Megumi said as she could relate to this moment.

“My dad is a detective…" Nanako shrugged. "He, uhm, investigates stuff.”

“Oh, I see,” Megumi said as the content on the TV changed to the news of the latest scandal going on. A city councilman’s secretary by the name of Taro Namatame was under fire for having an affair with some TV reporter by the name of Mayumi Yamano. Namatame’s wife, Misuzu Hiiragi, was likely to pursue damages. To Megumi, this was all a big waste of time to watch. Who cared that some dumb politician decided to be stupid and cheat on his wife? Didn’t the news had anything better to report on?

“… This is boring.” Nanako said, which caused Megumi to look at her. Nanako was starting to remind the teenager of herself when she was that little girl’s age.

“I agree,” Megumi said. “Why don’t you change the channel, Nanako?”

It was Nanako’s turn to look at Megumi. When she agreed and pushed a button on the remote, a cheery commercial came on with various jingles playing.

“At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day! Come see for yourself and get in touch with our products!” The voice then broke out into a song. “Every day’s great at your Junes!”

Nanako eagerly followed suit. “Every day’s great at your Junes!” She giggled a bit and then noticed Megumi’s plate. “… Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Uh?” Megumi looked down and noticed that she only made some holes into one of the sushi rolls. “Oh! I better get on that.” She began to eat her dinner as Nanako did the same.

Later on after dinner, Megumi helped Nanako clean up a bit. After bidding her a good night, the gray-haired girl walked upstairs to her room that Dojima lent her. It was a decent sized bedroom, with the majority of her belongings still in boxes. Megumi’s eyes laid onto her Yasogami school uniform. It was different from her last school’s uniform, as she never wore a sailor styled uniform before. Complimenting the outfit was a pair of tights and bike shorts, which Megumi had insisted on such a style since her middle school days. All it took was one incident with the wind and the combination had been a lifesaver since.

As Megumi prepared for bed, she thought to herself. For one year, she’ll be residing in a very different home, but this time, she was not alone. She wondered if everything will be okay and quiet, but it was speculation at this time. When she began to sleep, there was a gentle chorus of crickets chirping instead of the usual city noises. She found the sounds to be soothing as she was lulled to sleep...

~*~

**???**

 

Megumi had found herself in a strange place. She couldn’t tell where she was because a thick fog had covered the area. Curiously, she also found herself in Yasogami High’s uniform. Was she dreaming about being lost to school? She couldn’t tell because of the fog, which annoyed her. With no other choice, she began to walk forward. She looked around as her footsteps echoed, but there was nothing that was standing out to her.

‘Do you seek the truth…?’

“Huh?” Megumi stopped as she heard a voice. Truth? What truth? Was there something she should know? She decided to pick up her walking pace, thinking that she’ll find an answer if she continued forward.

‘If it’s truth you desire, come and find me…’

Megumi’s face grew in annoyance as she picked up the pace even further. What was this place and why was it so foggy? Was there really anything else to ask?

As she passed through an opening, she stopped as she felt a presence nearby. Could that be the strange voice that spoke up?

‘So… You’re the one who’s looking for me… Hmhmhm… Try all you like…’

“Try what?” Megumi asked. “What’s going on? Why am I here?” She could tell that the voice was trying to get away from her. “Hey! Get back here, I got questions for you!” Megumi found herself chasing after someone or something. She wasn’t going to give this up.

‘Hmhm… Despite the fog, you can see a little…’

“You better start making sense!” Megumi shouted as she kept running. “Who are you?!”

‘Interesting… I see now… You do want the truth… However, you will not catch me so easily…’

“I will if you only hold still!” Megumi said as her right hand reached out. Suddenly, a sword materialized in her hand and a floating card appeared before her. Confused by this sudden moment, the teenager reached out for the card with her left hand and a small jolt of electricity suddenly ran through something ahead. Megumi yelped in surprise and she stopped, perplexed of the situation at hand.

‘If what you seek is the ‘truth’, then your search will be even harder… Everyone sees what they want to see and the fog will only deepen…’

“Tch!” Megumi noticed the fog growing thicker. “Dammit…!”

‘Will we meet again…? At a place, other than here… I look forward to it…’


	3. Chapter 2: Schoolyard Strut

**Tuesday, April 12th 2011**

 

Megumi stirred around in her sleep before she suddenly woke up. She blinked a few times before she sat up straight and scratched her head. She was confused at first, but then she remembered that this wasn’t her old bedroom anymore. This was her room at her uncle’s house in Inaba. What was with her dreams as of late? First the limousine and now the weird foggy area too. Was all this a coincidence? Megumi grumbled as she placed her head back down on her pillows.

A couple of knocks on the door were heard followed by a “breakfast’s ready” from Nanako. Megumi sat up again and looked at the door when her thoughts were returning to her. Today was her first day of school at Yasogami High. Deciding that she did not want to be late, she got up from her futon and began to get ready.

After she finished putting on her uniform, Megumi admired herself in front of a mirror as she made her hair into two circular tails. She concluded that this outfit actually looked better on her than her old school’s uniform, which that one was unflattering with its chunky blazer and plain design.

As Megumi walked downstairs to the living room, she noticed Nanako working on the finishing touches of breakfast.

“Good morning,” Nanako said as she placed a plate down for Megumi. As the two girls sat down, a couple pieces of toast popped up from the toaster. The aroma lingered in the air with the smell of toast and coffee.

“Well…” Nanako began. “Let’s eat.”

Megumi looked down at her food, which it looked like it was made with care. She assumed that her uncle must’ve left for work early so he might not have done this. There could only have been one other person that prepared this.

“Did you cook all this?” Megumi asked as she began to dig into the eggs.

“Uh-huh,” Nanako nodded eagerly. “I can toast bread and cook sunny-side up eggs in the morning. Dad can’t cook, so I buy dinner.”

“… Really?” Megumi asked as she quirked up an eyebrow. Nanako was quite a responsible one for someone her age, which happened to be the one thing Megumi didn’t share with her as a child. When she was that age, her parents were around more often, so she didn’t learn most basic cooking skills until she attended middle school. “You’re really good at this. Thank you, Nanako.”

Nanako beamed a little. “You’re starting school today, right? My school’s on the way, so let’s go together.”

“That’s a good idea,” Megumi said and smiled. Nanako grew on her quickly, so she appreciated the time spent with the little girl.

~*~

The rain fell gently over the town and both Megumi and Nanako could be seen walking, each armed with an umbrella. Nanako stopped for a moment to help Megumi.

“You go straight this way.” Nanako pointed ahead and then she turned to another direction. “My school’s this way. Bye!”

Megumi waved the little girl a farewell and began to walk straight to Yasogami. She noticed more students heading that way as well, so she can tell she was going in the right direction. The school itself was located on top of a hill, Megumi noted. As she got closer to the foot of the hill, a yelling student zoomed by her while riding his bike and holding an umbrella at the same time. Unfortunately for him, he ended up crashing into a pole next to a dump site. As Megumi walked closer, the male student was groaning in pain. She wasn’t sure if she should say something, so she left him be and continued on her way to the school.

~*~

Megumi found her way to the faculty office so she could meet her teacher. However, she felt that she met a troll rather than a teacher. He was rude, crass and loud – nothing like any of the teachers Megumi had seen before. She has also never met any teachers that had dressed like this one either, with his tacky navy blue pinstripe suit and a yellow checkered tie. The bob haircut and buck teeth did not help much either.

He grunted to the girl that she follow him to his class. Megumi complied, although she wasn’t sure if they were really going to class or they were going to a dungeon. The class itself was very noisy, with the students being excited over the fact that there was a new transfer student, some more excited about the fact that it was a girl from the big city.

“Awright, shut your traps!”

The whole class suddenly fell silent and began to pay attention to the troll.

“I’m Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward. Now first things first! Just because it’s spring doesn’t mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons! Long as I’m around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow!”

 _/Well/_ , Megumi thought. / _I sure didn’t have a teacher with this kind of introduction before./_

“As much as I hate wasting my time, I better introduce this transfer student standing here,” Morooka said as he looked at Megumi. “This sad sack’s been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday’s garbage.”

/… _Sad sack? Really?/_ Megumi glanced at the teacher with a weird look on her face.

“She’s no better here or where she’s from, so I better not see you guys try to flirt with her! Especially you!” Morooka pointed at a random student who was staring at Megumi for a bit. The poor teenager flustered in his seat as he tried to hide his face in embarrassment.

“Now tell ‘em your name and make it quick.”

Megumi decided on her words as she raised up her hand to her mouth and cleared her throat. “My name is Megumi Ueno and I’m a sad sack from the big city. Nice to meet you.” She ended her intro with a smile. Some of the students start to giggle while a few others were horrified by what just happened.

“Oh, we got a smart ass here, huh?” That moment proved to be a gutsy move as Morooka was not amused. “You better watch it or you’ll find yourself on my shit list ASAP!”

“Yes, sir,” Megumi managed to get out before the troll teacher started his rant again.

“Shaddup and listen up! This city’s miles away from the big one that’s full of perverts and assholes! You better not think about messing with the guys here! They’re no better than those big-city pervs! But what do I know? It’s not like the old days,” Morooka shrugged. “Even in this city, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you’re fooling around on those damn phones!”

Morooka continued his rant and Megumi began to wonder if she was ever going to sit down. Fortunately, someone read her mind and raised her hand.

“Excuse me! Is it okay if Megumi-chan sits here?”

“Huh?” Morooka stopped long enough to realize that the gray-haired girl was still standing. “Yeah, sure. You hear that, Ueno? Your seat’s over there. So hurry up and siddown already!”

 _/Thank god./_ “Yes, sir.” Megumi wasted no time in walking over to the empty desk that was next to the girl who rescued her. The students began to whisper in excitement again.

“He’s the worst, huh?”

Megumi blinked for a moment but realized her savior was whispering to her. Her savior stood out of the class with her green jacket, but she also sported short brown hair and brown eyes.

“Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class…” The girl whispered in an apologetic tone. “Well, we just have to hang in there for a year.”

Megumi nodded in affirmation. She might have found her first friend in this little town.

~*~

 

The day ended without further incident. Before Morooka could leave the class, the PA system suddenly jingled and silenced any chattering.

“Attention, all teachers. Please report to the Faculty Office immediately for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice. I repeat…”

Morooka groaned. “You heard the announcement. Don’t go anywhere until you hear otherwise.” He then walked out of the classroom and started to grumble to himself.

“He’s seriously getting on my nerves…” One of the girls near Megumi said. The same girl and another got up to go talk to the gray-haired girl. “It sucks that you ended up here, Ueno-san. Get on his bad side enough and he’ll suspend you.”

“I… will keep that in mind,” Megumi said. Sometimes, she couldn’t keep her big mouth shut, but it proved to be entertainment to her classmates at least.

“But that was funny,” The other girl chuckled. “I have never heard of that kind of introduction before. Are all city girls like that?”

“Some more than others,” Megumi shrugged. “I just have never been called a sad sack by a teacher before.”

“Same thing! Until I ended up here…” The first girl frowned.

Then, the sound of police sirens could be heard and some of the students got up and ran over to the window in excitement.

“Did something happen? Those sirens sound really close…”

“Ugh, I can’t see a damn thing. Frickin’ fog…”

“Yeah, like every time it rains lately, it gets all foggy. But didja hear? The paparazzi has been looking all over for that announcer lady.”

“Mayumi Yamano, right?”

Megumi began to tune out the conversation and tapped her fingers on her desk in boredom. How long was this going to last? Did something serious happen? She then noticed the green jacket girl talking to the girl in front of her, who wore a red sweater, a red headband and had long black hair. The green jacket girl complained loudly while the red sweater girl reassured her of their current situation.

The PA pinged again. “Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched to the area. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat…”

“Incident?!”

“Did something happen?”

The students began to clamor excitedly and rushed out of the classroom as Megumi began to get ready to leave. As she got up from her desk, the green jacket girl and the red sweater girl approached her.

“Hey, Megumi-chan, are you going home by yourself?” The green jacket girl asked. “Why don’t you come with us?”

“Ah… sure.” Megumi nodded as she welcomed the chance to hang out with her new friend.

“Oh! I nearly forgot! I’m Chie Satonaka. Nice to meet you!” Chie grinned. “This here is Yukiko Amagi.” She motioned her head towards the red sweater girl.

“Oh… Nice to meet you.” Yukiko said, although flustered. “I’m sorry that this is so sudden…”

“Wha- C’mon, don’t apologize like that,” Chie protested. “It makes me look like I got no upbringing. I just wanted to ask some stuff, that’s all.”

Megumi blinked a couple times. “You’re welcome to any time…”

“I know, but this is your first day here,” Chie said as she smiled. “It’s rare that we get transfer students, let alone ones from the big city.”

Before the three girls could leave the class, the male student that Megumi witnessed crashing from this morning approached them with a dreaded look on his face.

“Uh… Miss Satonaka? This was really awesome, you know. The way they move is really amazing to see… And…” He then produced a DVD case and lowered his head as he began to ramble really fast. “I’m really sorry! It was an accident! Please have mercy until my next paycheck!” As Chie took the DVD case back, the boy then mumbled a ‘see ya’ and tried to run away.

“Stop right there!” Chie ran after him. “What did you do to my DVD?!”

The boy ran right into the corner of a desk with Chie’s ‘assistance’ and he groaned in pain. Megumi and Yukiko walked over to the green jacket girl as she opened the case.

“What the?!” Chie cried out as her face was full of shock. “It’s completely cracked!! Ohhhh, my ‘Trial of the Dragon’…!”

“I-I think mine’s cracked too… C-critical hit… to the nads…” The bleak student said, still groaning in pain.

“A-are you alright…?” Yukiko asked.

The boy seemed to have recovered for a moment. “Oh, Yukiko-san. Are you worried about me…?”

“He’s fine, Yukiko,” Chie angerly said as she stuffed the DVD case into her backpack. “Let’s ditch him and go home. You too, Megumi-chan!”

Megumi looked at the student bending over from the pain. Once again she did not know how to help him and since Chie insisted on it, she left him be.

~*~

The three girls reached the gate with Chie complaining loudly about her DVD and the student that broke it. However, she was interrupted by a strange boy who was not wearing Yasogami’s uniform. Upon seeing him, Megumi felt chills running down her spine.

“Hi, Yuki…” The boy directed his attention completely to Yukiko with a vacant expression. “Y-you wanna go hang out somewhere…?”

“What…?” Yukiko appeared flabbergasted. “W-who are you…?”

As the students began to look on and exchanged bets, the boy grew impatient. “S-so… are you coming or not?”

“I-I’m not going…” Yukiko said as she tried to regain her composure.

“Fine!” The boy shouted and then ran off.

Megumi was honestly glad to see him gone. “Who was that…?”

“Wh-what did he want with me…?” Yukiko also asked.

“What did he want?” Chie said. “Obviously he was asking you out on a date.” Megumi began to shudder. That guy was way too creepy and she wouldn’t want any of her newfound friends near someone like him.

Yukiko eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Huh? Really…?”

“You really had no clue?” Chie said as she frowned. “Sheesh…”

“Kind of a good thing we’re here,” Megumi said as the trio continued on their way. “That was a really creepy encounter…”

“Yeah, the way he called you Yuki all of a sudden was way over the top,” Chie said.

“A-anyway…” Yukiko looked at Megumi with an apologetic face. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this…”

Megumi shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s alright.”

“So!” Chie returned a grin on her face. “Can you tell us about yourself, Megumi-chan?”

Megumi complied and rattled off about her parents, the city she was last in, the old tennis club she was in and her favorite foods. When she finished a topic, the girls stopped momentarily for a quick break.

“But moving here because of your parents…” Chie commented. “I thought it was something way more serious. There really is nothing here, huh.”

“I can’t say that for sure,” Megumi said optimistically. “It’s only my second day here.”

Chie chuckled. “But then again, that is what makes this town so nice. Too bad we don’t have much to show to outsiders. Though, there is something from Mount Yasogami… Our dyed clothes or pottery or something is kinda famous, I think.”

Megumi became curious about this topic. She would not consider herself an artist, but she would like to see crafts and art made by other people. She hoped to see some works in the near future.

“Oh wait!” Chie remembered something. “There’s the Amagi Inn! It’s run by Yukiko’s family and it’s the pride of Inaba!”

“Huh?” Yukiko spoke up, unsure of Chie's enthusiasm. “I-it’s just an old inn.”

“No way,” Chie said. “It’s been in all sorts of magazines as a ‘hidden treasure’. It’s been going for generations and Yukiko is gonna take over it someday!” Yukiko tried to stop her friend, but the green jacket girl continued. “This inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going.”

The red sweater girl became annoyed. “… I don’t think that’s entirely true.”

“Oh yeah! Did you know that Yukiko is actually very popular at school but she never had a boyfriend before? Kinda weird, huh?”

Megumi blinked for a moment. She noticed that Chie liked to brag about Yukiko a lot.

Yukiko, however, began to sputter. “Come on… Megumi-chan, you shouldn’t believe what she’s saying. It’s not true that I’m popular or that I ever had a boyfriend before.” She then realized her mistake. “I-I mean, I don’t need a boyfriend! Geez… Chie!”

Chie started to laugh. “Sorry! This is our chance to talk to someone from the big city and you haven’t said a word!”

“Well,” Megumi said as she tried to help Yukiko feel more comfortable. “If it makes you feel any better, I actually never had a boyfriend before either.”

“Whoa, really?!” Chie was surprised by this fact but then remembered what Megumi said earlier. “Oh… was it because you moved around?”

“Hmm…” Megumi placed her finger on her cheek. “That, and some crushes I had just stayed at that.”

“That’s too bad,” Chie said but then she noticed something ahead of them. “Hey, what’s that?”

Megumi and Yukiko looked ahead and walked forward with Chie to an intersection. Police had barricaded a section off from the public, but it didn’t stop some housewives and other onlookers from trying to see what was going on. The girls overheard a conversation about ‘something’ hanging from the antenna on the roof and that ‘something’ was a dead body.

“Wait…” Chie said as she was surprised by what she heard. “What did she just say? A dead body?!”

Before Megumi could say anything, her uncle appeared from the barricaded area and approached her and the other two girls.

“Megumi, what’re you doing here?” Dojima asked, with parental concern in his tone.

“Oh, hi Uncle,” Megumi said, surprised to see him here. “We were just passing by.”

“Huh…” Dojima said. “I should’ve figured that’d happen. That damn principal… We told him not to let them through here…” The man grumbled.

“Megumi-chan, you know him?” Chie asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Megumi said. “Chie, Yukiko. This is my uncle. I’m staying with him while I’m here.”

“I’m Detective Dojima, her guardian.” Dojima then began to rub the back of his neck. “Um, how should I put this… I hope you get along well with her.”

“Yes, sir!” Chie said cheerfully while Yukiko nodded.

“But you three need to head straight home.” Dojima's stern tone returned. “Don’t go wandering off.” As he turned around to return to the crime scene, a young lanky man in a suit rushed by him and soon after, he began to produce vomiting noises. This action angered the detective as he glared at him. “Adachi! How long are you gonna act like a rookie?! You want to be sent back to central office?!”

“I… I’m sorry…” The lanky man that was known as Adachi weakly said as he finished and limped back.

Dojima sighed in irritation. “Go wash your face. We’re gonna go around and gather information!” He then walked back with Adachi following him behind.

“Was this what that announcement was about…?” Chie said with apprehension.

“What did they mean… It was hanging from the antenna…?” Yukiko pondered.

“… I think my uncle may have a point,” Megumi frowned. “We should go home.”

“Yeah… Yukiko, I think we should go to Junes some other time.”

“Good idea, Chie…”

“Alright then, Megumi-chan,” Chie said with an upbeat tone. “Starting tomorrow, let’s do our best!”

“Yep!” Megumi said as she waved farewell to her new friends and began to head home.

~*~

 

Evening rolled in and Megumi and Nanako had the TV on. Once again, Dojima was absent from the living room.

“I wonder if Dad’s not coming home again tonight…” Nanako said sadly.

Then the TV report came on. It reported the story about the incident that happened earlier today. It reported that Mayumi Yamano was found dead and her body was hanging from the antenna on a resident’s roof. Furthermore, the cause of death was unknown and the police were unsure to treat this as an accident or a homicide. Their progress would also be slow due to the fog as well. Megumi began to wonder if this was connected to the scandal story that was reported the other day.

“They found her on the roof?” Nanako said. “That’s scary…”

Fortunately, a Junes commercial began to play and Nanako became distracted by it.

“Everyday’s great at your Junes!” Nanako then looked at Megumi with a smile. The gray-haired girl looked at her, but then realized what she wanted.

“… Your Junes!” Megumi sang, prompting the little girl to giggle in delight. “You’re a really good singer, Nanako.”

“Heehee, I’m the best one in my class!” Nanako said, still giggling. Megumi smiled and was relieved that she forgot about the story.

Later on, as Megumi put Nanako to bed, she began to think as she got ready for bed as well. Why did this happen? Who would actually kill someone? She then remembered the weird dream with the long nose man. He mentioned something about a catastrophe and 'a great mystery' when she arrived at her destination.

This was starting to look too much like a coincidence.


	4. Chapter 3: Midnight Rumors

**Wednesday, April 13th 2011**

 

The next day arrived and Megumi was walking to school once again. She was minding her own business until a student on his bicycle zoomed by her while yelling until he crashed. This time, he found himself inside a trash bin and couldn’t get out.

“S-someone…!”

Megumi blinked at this déjà vu at first until she walked over to the hapless student. She recognized that it was the same guy that had a similar incident yesterday and that he was responsible for Chie’s DVD. Feeling a little sorry for him, she decided to help him out.

“Hey. Stop rolling around for a second.” Megumi said as she grabbed the bin. “Now pull yourself out.”

The boy did as she instructed and got himself out, slightly embarrassed by what happened. He then noticed Megumi’s hand extending out to him, which prompted him to look at it and then to her face for a moment.

“Th-Thanks!” He said as he grabbed her hand and she pulled him up, much to his surprise. “You saved me! I wasn’t expecting a girl to come to my rescue, but thanks. Uhm…”

Megumi tilted her head to the side at the boy as he paused for a moment. His brown eyes pondered something as he scratched the back of his fawn-colored hair. She also noticed that he had a pair of headphones around his neck.

“Oh yeah! You’re that transfer student in my class! Megumi Ueno, right?”

“That’s me, and you’re Yosuke Hanamura, right?”

Yosuke appeared surprised. “How did you– Oh wait. Satonaka told you?” His face began to sour as memories of yesterday came up.

“Hmm, only a little,” Megumi said. She recalled that Chie mentioned his name in yesterday’s conversation regarding her DVD.

“Well anyway!” Yosuke said. “Nice to meet you, Ueno-san.”

“Same here, but… Are you alright? That was kind of a nasty crash.” Megumi said as she quirked an eyebrow up.

“Oh yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” Yosuke said in a reassuring manner. “But if we stand around for too long, we’ll be late. Um, ladies first,” He gestured to Megumi to lead the way as he kept pace next to her. “Say, did you hear about the incident from yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from the antenna!”

“Yeah, it was all over the news,” Megumi said.

“Do you think it’s some sorta warning sign? There’s no way something that weird could be an accident.” Yosuke’s face scrunched up. “Dangling a dead body over the roof like that… That’s just messed up. Then again, it’s pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place.”

Megumi nodded in agreement. She may have found a new friend today as well.

~*~

 

The day passed by without incident and Megumi learned that while Chie was her neighbor, Yukiko sat diagonally from her and Yosuke was only behind her. This certainly helped the gray-haired girl with knowing where her friends were. When the class was beginning to empty, Yosuke decided to pay his new neighbor a visit.

“So, you getting used to this place, Ueno-san?”

“Yeah, although there’s still some areas I haven’t seen yet,” Megumi said as she nodded.

“That was fast,” Yosuke slightly chuckled. “You’re gonna find out that there isn’t much to do here compared to the big city. But there is a certain something you can’t get anywhere else. The air’s clean, the food’s great… also, grilled steak is the local delicacy. Like that’s anything special!”

Megumi blinked a little bit, as she thought that the local delicacies would’ve been more unique. But if Yosuke mentioned that, then it must have been really good steak.

“I know a place where you can get it cheap. Since you saved me this morning, I’ll treat you.” The boy grinned.

Suddenly, Chie walked up to the two, looking irritated. “What about me, huh? No apology? My ‘Trial of the Dragon’?” She emphasized the last part through gritted teeth.

Yosuke sighed. “You always come around when there’s food involved…”

Chie then looked over at Yukiko, who was busy getting ready to go somewhere. “How about it, Yukiko? Don’t you think he should treat us too?”

Yukiko stood up from her desk and shook her head. “I’ll pass. I really don’t want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn, anyway. Maybe another time.”

“Whoa,” Yosuke said in an astonished tone. “Are you training to be a manager already, Yukiko-san?”

“I-it’s not like that…” Yukiko said as she tried to downplay his comment. “I just help out when it gets really busy. Anyway, I really need to get going. I’ll see you all later.” She smiled a little and then left the classroom.

“Well,” Chie began. “I guess the three of us should get going too!”

“Huh?” Yosuke nearly lost his footing. “Do I seriously have to treat two people?”

“You don’t have to,” Megumi said but she then noticed Chie’s pleading eyes. “… Okay, just for a drink.”

~*~

“This is the cheap place you were talking about?! They don’t have grilled steak here!”

Chie was shouting in annoyance as Yosuke delivered her food and some drinks. Megumi and her friends came to Junes, which was Yosuke’s choice. The food court was buzzing with activity of people coming and going and vendors conducting business.

“Yeah, well as soon as you hopped onto the freeloader train, I had to change my plans,” Yosuke said irritably as he sat down.

“Still, there’s no reason to take us to your place!” Chie retorted.

“Dude, this isn’t my place or anything!” Yosuke argued back.

“Hm?” Megumi wore a puzzled look on her face when her friends noticed it.

“Oh yeah, I haven’t told you, huh,” Yosuke asked, which prompted Megumi to move her head sideways. “I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up and my dad was assigned to manage it, so our entire family came out here.”

“Wow,” Megumi said as she reached over to grab her drink. “So you’re from a big city too.”

“That’s right,” Yosuke said as he smirked and grabbed his drink as well. “How about a toast, to welcome you to town?” The headphone-clad boy then looked at Chie. “Satonaka, yours is on me too.”

“Yeah, I know,” Chie flatly said as she grabbed her drink too.

“Well… Cheers!” Megumi chirped and then the trio took a drink. Afterward, the conversation itself became animated over small things. Megumi and Yosuke mostly talked about things from bigger cities and living life out here in Inaba. Chie mentioned that ever since Junes was opened, the shopping district began to lose their customer base, as many shops had closed down since.

After an awkward pause, Yosuke turned his head and noticed someone. “Oh, there’s Saki-senpai. Sorry, be right back.” He wasted no time in getting off his seat and went over to visit a girl with curly pale blonde hair.

“Who’s that?” Megumi asked as she watched Yosuke and the girl exchange words.

“That’s Saki Konishi,” Chie answered. “Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district.”

“Ah, I see,” Megumi said, but then she noticed something. “She’s wearing a Junes apron, though…”

“Yeah, I heard that she’s working part-time here,” Chie confirmed.

“… Must be rough,” Megumi concluded. She then noticed that Saki saw her.

“Hey, Hana-chan. Is she the kid who transferred here?” Saki then got up from her seat and went over to meet Megumi. “Hey, so you’re the transfer student? You must’ve heard about me already, huh?”

“Hmm, kind of,” Megumi said as she shook Saki’s hand. “I’m Megumi Ueno.”

Saki nodded with a smile. “It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh? I rarely see Hana-chan hanging out with the other guys much. Or even other girls for that matter.”

“Uh… N-not necessarily…” Yosuke interjected.

“He doesn’t have too many friends, so I hope you two can get along good,” Saki continued. “Hana-chan’s a good guy, but he can get nosy sometimes. You have to tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you.”

Megumi tilted her head in confusion. Those were pretty strong words coming from the older girl. “Sure… But from what I’ve seen, he’s a nice guy so far.”

Saki began to giggle after noticing Megumi’s confusion. “I’m just kidding.”

“C-c’mon, Senpai,” Yosuke sputtered. “There’s no need to worry about something like that.”

Saki smiled wryly and then noticed something. “Well, my break’s just about over. Back to work I go… Laters!” She gave a small smile as she walked off.

“Oh, uh, Senpai!” Yosuke tried to call the girl back but she didn’t hear him. He then sat back down and began to chuckle. “Saki-senpai says I’m annoying, but she’s even nosier than me. She has a younger brother and she treats me pretty much the same way…”

“Ohhhh,” Chie finally spoke up after observing the conversation. “I get it. You don’t want her to treat you like a brother, huh?” She then broke into a dramatic voice. “The daughter of a local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain! Hoho, the flame of forbidden love!”

Megumi began to giggle at Chie’s dramatic speech. She would admit that tagline did have a nice ring to it. Yosuke, however, didn’t think so.

“Wh-wha-” Yosuke stammered as he began to blush. “Dude, it’s not like that!”

“Oh reaaaally,” Chie said in a teasing manner. “Well, I just know the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart! You ever hear of the Midnight Channel?”

Megumi shook her head and listened carefully to Chie’s story.

“The rumor is that you’re supposed to look into a TV that’s switched off, by yourself, at exactly midnight on a rainy night. While you’re staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen… And they say the person that appears is your soulmate.”

“… What?” Megumi was perplexed by this odd rumor.

“… For a second there, I thought you were actually going to say something useful.” Yosuke said, once again unimpressed with the short hair girl. “How are you getting excited over some lame urban legend like that?”

“Lame, huh?!” Chie became defensive. “So that means you don’t believe it, do you?!”

“Of course not!” Yosuke shot back.

“I’ve heard some other second year confirming this the last time it rained,” The short-haired girl said. “He was going on and on about it. But since it’s raining tonight, let’s all try it out!”

“Huh? Me too?” Megumi pointed to herself.

“Yeah!”

“Well… The two of us would be able to hold Yosuke accountable in case he backs out…”

“Wha–?! I’m trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid and you haven’t even tried it?!” Yosuke grumbled to himself.

“Well, all I’m saying is that you two better check it out later tonight! You promised me!” Chie said with a pout. Megumi felt that she couldn’t back out of this. This was probably what Yosuke speculated, an urban legend. But remembering Chie’s story, the student that she mentioned was going on about how Mayumi Yamano was his soulmate…

~*~

 

It was dinnertime at the Dojima residence, and the evening consisted of Megumi and Nanako. Rain fell outside at a steady pace. Megumi figured that she would help Nanako with anything that needed to be done before checking out the rumor about the Midnight Channel later.

“Dad’s late again…” Nanako sighed to herself. She wore a look of disappointment that Megumi once again recognized.

“Did he call in?” The gray-haired girl asked.

Nanako sadly shook her head. “He always says he will…”

To Megumi, this was familiar as well. “I’m sorry.”

“Huh?” Nanako picked her head up and looked at Megumi. “But you didn’t do anything wrong… Did you?”

“No, no,” Megumi said. “Let’s just say… that I know what it’s like when parents do this.”

“Oh…” Nanako’s head drooped again but suddenly her head picked back up by a sound of the front door opening. “Oh! He’s home!”

Megumi breathed a sigh of relief as she and the little girl watched a tired-looking Dojima walking to the couch.

“I’m back…” Dojima said wearily. “Did anything happen while I was away?”

“No, but you’re late again…” Nanako said as she scolded her father.

“I’m sorry… Been busy at work,” Dojima weakly apologized as he went to sit down on the sofa. “Ugh, what a day… Nanako, can you put on the news for me?”

Nanako reluctantly complied and focused on her dinner while not making any eye contact with her father. Megumi wasn’t sure if there was anything for her to say, so she chose to remain quiet and watched the news.

The news announcer recapped the events of yesterday, with Mayumi Yamano found dead and how she was involved with the scandal that Megumi couldn’t escape from. Was this really tied with a lover’s quarrel? Could foul play be involved?

All of a sudden, the follow-up report featured an interview with a local student who had found the body. Her face was blurred out and her voice was distorted to conceal her identity, but Megumi could’ve sworn that she saw this student somewhere before…

“An interview with the kid?” Dojima commented as he yawned. “Where the hell did they find her…?”

The reporter had bombarded the girl with varying questions. The only answers the student could muster was that of confusion. Now that Megumi thought about it, she almost looked like Saki Konishi…

As the news report progressed, Dojima made fewer comments about it until the commercial break came on. Then, Nanako’s favorite commercial came on and right on cue, she sang her favorite jingle.

“Everyday’s great at your Junes! … Hey, Dad? Can we go to Junes sometime?”

Dojima did not respond but he began to snore instead.

“… No?” Nanako looked over to see her father asleep. “Geez…”

Megumi also noticed that her uncle passed out. “Hmm, you can try asking him again when he’s awake, Nanako. Let’s leave him alone for now. Are you finished with dinner?”

“Uh-huh.” Nanako nodded.

“Then let me help you clean up, okay?” Megumi smiled.

“Okay!” The little girl chirped as she was more than willing to let her older cousin help.

~*~

After they finished cleaning up, Nanako settled down to watch a quiz show on the TV. Megumi wasn’t sure how long the rain will continue on, but she didn’t want her uncle to be sick if he lingered in the living room. She provided him with a nearby blanket before bidding Nanako a good night. There was a rumor to investigate.

Megumi had switched to her sleepwear and she had also taken out her circular tails. She brushed her hair as she was waiting for midnight to strike. The rain continued to fall at a steady pace. She began to wonder if Chie’s story was really true.

‘Your soulmate will appear if you look at the TV on a rainy night…’

 _/Well, can’t back out of this now/,_ Megumi thought to herself as she finished brushing her hair. She then noticed that she was mere seconds away from the clock hitting midnight. She got up from her sofa and walked over to the little TV and began to gaze at it for what it seemed like several moments.

However, nothing happened.

Megumi turned away from it and smirked to herself. “Heh, I knew it. It is just an ur–”

However, the TV came to life and interrupted Megumi.

“What the…?” She gasped as she watched the screen carefully. She couldn’t get a clear picture, but it looked like a girl in a Yasogami uniform was in agonizing pain. She tried to make out who the girl was, but the graininess of the picture made it very difficult to pinpoint the person in question.

A lightning strike crashed outside and all of a sudden, Megumi heard a woman’s voice inside her head and gasped in pain.

_I am thou…_

_Thou art I…_

_Thou art the one…_

_Who will open thine door…_

While the voice was speaking, Megumi’s head pounded in pain as she fell down to her knees. What just happened? Who was that? As Megumi regained her composure, she was breathing heavily. She got up and then looked at the now lifeless TV.

“What… just happened?” She asked herself. The voice that just spoke in her head aside, whoever was on TV was clearly in agony. A part of her felt that she needed help. Megumi wished that she could just dive into the TV and get her out of there. She then touched the TV screen and it radiated a form of energy.

“Huh…?!” Megumi backed up for a moment, startled by this. It felt like the TV would take her in. With curiosity outweighing fear in her heart, she touched the screen again. This time, she slowly put her hand inside the TV, but then something took hold of her hand and began to pull her in.

“Ugh! N-no!” Megumi cried out as she tried to pull herself back out, but her arm and her head went into the TV. She had her eyes tightly closed as she made a desperate yank. Whoever grabbed her had let her go and Megumi fell backward with her head colliding with the edge of the coffee table.

“Ow!” Megumi held onto the back of her head and reeled over in pain. “Ow ow ow… Dammit, that hurt…”

“Are you okay?” Nanako knocked on Megumi’s door. The gray-haired girl gasped and then looked up at the TV once again, which was blank.

“Y-yeah, I’m alright… Did I wake you up?” Megumi said as she tried to regain her bearings.

“I heard a loud noise…” Nanako said in a worried tone.

“I-it’s just me,” Megumi replied. “I just tripped over something… That’s all.”

“Oh… okay… Well, good night…” Nanako’s footsteps faded into her room and her door closed.

Megumi then looked up at her TV again. What just happened? What was that? Who was in there? So much has happened in a very short amount of time. The pain from colliding with the table still lingered and she limped over to her bed.

There was much to discuss.


	5. Chapter 4: The Other Side

**Thursday, April 14th 2011**

 

Morning rolled in and the weather continued its rainy assault. Megumi yawned loudly as she trotted to school. She managed to get some sleep after last night’s events, but her head still hurt. All of a sudden, she could hear running steps. Before she could grasp what happened, Chie had forced herself under the umbrella.

“Oh… Morning, Chie,” Megumi said as she shared the room under the umbrella.

“Morning, Megumi-chan!” Chie smiled. “Sorry, I did have my own umbrella, but I saw a kung fu movie where they used one to pull off some sweet moves… So I tried to mimic the moves, but I accidentally broke mine…” She began to giggle nervously.

“I… see,” Megumi said as she quirked an eyebrow up.

“Are you okay?” Chie noticed Megumi’s tired eyes. “You looked like you had a rough night.”

“Yeah… About that…” Megumi said as she rubbed the back of her head with her free hand. “Did you check out the rumor last night?”

“Yep!” Chie’s eyes brightened up. “But the person it showed… Oh, we should wait until later to talk about that. We’re gonna be late!”

“… Yeah, good idea,” Megumi said as the two began to walk. “We still have to hold Yosuke accountable.”

Chie nodded, but then her expression changed to slight embarrassment. “Sorry… It must be pretty awkward to stand close like this.”

“What?” Megumi once again raised her eyebrow. “I don’t mind, it’s not like I’m a guy or anything.”

“That’s true, but…” Chie edged herself away. “I’ll just go ahead and run the rest of the way!”

“But if you do that, you’ll catch a cold…” Megumi said, still not budging from her position.

“Oh… Right! Good point,” Chie decided against running and stayed with Megumi as the two resumed their walk. “If I did get sick, it would spread… And that would suck for everyone!”

The two girls then chatted about little things the rest of the way.

~*~

 

The school day passed by and after school rolled in. Megumi was packing her belongings when she overheard two of her fellow students talking to each other about the murder from the other day. One of them had mentioned that she heard that a student named Saki Konishi found the body first. Megumi blinked once at this new piece of information, as all of this was too much of a coincidence…

“Y-Yo…” Yosuke walked to Megumi with a pensive look on his face.

“… Are you okay, Yosuke?” Megumi asked.

“W-well…” Yosuke began to look to the side. “It’s really not that important… But… Yesterday on TV, I…” Megumi once again tilted her head to the side in confusion. When he noticed this, the boy began to back off. “… Er, nevermind. It’s not important, Ueno-san… I’ll just tell you later.”

“Um, okay…” Megumi said. “But aside that, you don’t have to be all polite with me, okay? Just Megumi is fine.”

“Oh. Okay, Ue- Um… Megumi…” Yosuke grumbled to himself for a bit. “Sorry, it’s gonna take me a minute.”

Chie once again walked up to the two, eager about something. “Yosuke, did you hear the rumor? Saki-senpai’s supposedly the one who’s discovered that body.”

Yosuke’s pensiveness returned. “I wonder if that’s the reason why she looked so down… She didn’t come to school today, either.”

Chie then noticed Yukiko getting up from her seat. “Oh, Yukiko. Are you gonna go help at the inn today too? There is something I wanted to tell you about.”

Yukiko shot her friend an apologetic look. “Things are really out of hand right now… I’m sorry.” She then walked out of the classroom. Megumi noted that she looked really tired.

“Is it just me or does Yukiko-san seemed way too stressed out today?” Yosuke inquired.

“I guess they’re running her ragged…” Chie assumed, but then she picked her head back up. “By the way, did you see… it… last night?”

“Huh?” Yosuke appeared confused until he realized what she was talking about. “Uh… Well, what about you?”

“I did! I totally saw a girl!” Chie blurted out, but then she appeared confused. “But… my soulmate’s a girl…? What’s that suppose to mean? I couldn’t tell who it was, but she had shoulder-length brown hair and she wore our school uniform.”

“Hey…” Yosuke interrupted the green jacket girl. “I think that’s the same person I saw. I couldn’t get a good look at who it was ‘cause the picture was all messed up.”

“Wait, so you saw it too?!” Chie exclaimed. “We saw the same girl…? So… We have the same soulmate?”

“How should I know?” Yosuke said irritably and then turned his attention to Megumi. “What about you, Ue– Uh, Megumi. Did you see it too?”

“Yeah,” the gray-haired girl began. “But there is more on my end. I heard this weird voice from out of nowhere and it made my head hurt. Also, I found out that I can get my hand inside of the TV, but then something grabbed me and tried to pull me in. I guess I got lucky because my TV was too small for me to fit through. This is also why I look really tired today.”

Both of her friends tried to keep a straight face as they listened to Megumi’s tale. However, both of them did a horrible job of concealing their laughter.

“It sounds like we all saw the same person… But aside from weird voices, are you serious that you got stuck in your TV?” Yosuke asked.

“… I know it sounds crazy,” Megumi said. “But it’s all true.”

The boy started to laugh. “Were you that tired last night? You probably fell asleep in front of your TV.”

“That sounds a lot like a dream,” Chie commented. “I like the part where you said you got stuck in the TV because you couldn’t fit through.” She started to guffaw until she noticed a sour look on Megumi’s face. “Oh, I didn’t mean to imply anything, Megumi-chan!”

“….. So you don’t believe me,” Megumi flatly said.

“N-no! We believe you… Sure…” Yosuke tried to keep his straight face again, but he and Chie ended up laughing even more. This course of action earned them the ire of Megumi as she glared at them.

“Hey!” Chie had a sudden realization. “That reminds me. Our family’s been talking about buying a bigger TV!”

“Oh yeah?” Yosuke said. “Well, flatscreen TVs are definitely in these days. Wanna go check them out? We’ve been beefing up our electronics department this month. Heck, we can probably find some big enough for Megumi to fit into, hehehe.”

Megumi shot her friend a dark look. If she had her tennis racket and some balls, she’d practice her aim right at Yosuke’s face. At least Chie apologized for the crass remark she made.

~*~

The trio arrived at the electronics department of Junes and they walked over to the TVs. Chie was amazed by the size of some of them as her eyes widened with excitement.

“Wow! This one’s huge!” She then noticed the price tag on it and her excitement died down. “… And holy crap, it’s expensive. Who buys this stuff?”

“I don’t know, rich folks?” Yosuke shrugged. “Not a lot of people shop for TVs here, that’s why we don’t have clerks around.”

“Ah well…” Chie sighed. “At least looking’s free.”

Megumi remained silent as she was still peeved at them. On cue, Yosuke and Chie approached the TV they were looking at and pressed their hands onto the screen. As they expected, nothing happened.

“Well, can’t get in. Figures.” Yosuke concluded.

“See, Megumi-chan? It was all just a dream.” Chie attempted to reassure her friend. However, Megumi wasn’t buying it. The green jacket girl then turned her attention back to Yosuke. “So, do you got something cheaper? That’s what my parents said they want.”

“Well, Miss, if I may direct your attention over here,” Yosuke said as he gestured Chie over to another TV model.

While the two were in deep discussion over the TVs, Megumi looked at the TV before her. Now that she thought about it, that TV could be big enough for her to go through. To test it out, she walked up to it and pressed her hand to the screen. Similar to what happened last night, her hand did go inside the screen.

“Oh!” Megumi squeaked, which it was enough for her friends to hear her.

“Didja find anything good, Megumi–” Yosuke became dumbstruck by the sight of his friend’s hand being inside the TV.

“Huh? What’s wrong, Yosuke?” Chie asked.

“Look over there!” Yosuke sputtered. “I-is her hand… really in the TV?!”

“Huh?!” Chie then looked over to Megumi and reacted with a loud gasp. “I-is that some kinda new model…?!”

“Hell no!” Yosuke affirmed as he and Chie ran over to Megumi. “You really weren’t kidding, were you…?”

“Now you believe me?” Megumi finally spoke to her friends as she could see the astonishment on the two.

“You really did it… You really stuck your hand into the screen…” Chie said, still shocked by what just happened.

“Th-that’s some magic trick!” Yosuke shouted. “So how did you do that?! What’s the magician’s secret?!”

Megumi then looked at the headphone-clad boy with a blank look. Then she looked at the TV and back at Yosuke again, which then she produced a little smirk at him. Suddenly, she looked at the TV once more and braced herself as she put her head into the TV to see the inside.

“H-hey! Don’t do that!! What’re you doing?!” Yosuke shouted.

“Oh my god!!” Chie could not produce more words then that momentarily.

Megumi looked around. The inside of the TV was very different then what she was expecting.

“There’s a bunch of empty space inside here,” The gray-haired girl said calmly.

“Wh-what do you mean ‘inside’?!” Yosuke sputtered, flabbergasted by this odd moment.

“Wh-what do you mean ‘empty space’?!” Chie joined in the confusion. “I mean, what the hell is going on?!”

Megumi continued to scout the inside as she could hear her friends panicking about ‘a girl that was half-stuck inside the TV’ and something about Yosuke’s bladder. Before she could pull herself out, her friends bumped right into her and all three began falling in.

“Wh-whoooooaaa!!”

~*~

The Yasogami students screamed as they fell in until they finally hit the ground with thuds.

“Ow…” Megumi groaned as she sat up.

“Ugh, man, I landed right on my wallet…” Yosuke grumbled as he rubbed his behind.

“Where are we…?” Chie asked as she and the other two classmates got up. “This isn’t part of Junes, is it…?”

“Hell no, it isn’t,” Yosuke replied as he looked around. “I mean, we just fell inside a TV.”

“Uh…” Megumi spoke up. “What is this place…?” She noticed that the area they were in was very foggy.

“Whoa!” Yosuke blurted out, making the two girls jump.

“Wh-what now?!” Chie shouted. “Did you wet your pants?!”

“No, stupid! Look around!”

At Yosuke’s insistence, both of the girls looked around. There were a lot of ladders and beams of steel around them. There were also camera lights placed high in the beams.

“Is this… a studio?” Chie asked to no one in particular. “All this fog… Or maybe it’s smoke?”

“I assume that this isn’t part of Inaba… Is it?” Megumi also asked.

“Hell no…” Yosuke said. “But man… This place is huge.” He then began to scratch his head. “So, how do we get out of here?”

“Uh?” Megumi looked at her surroundings again. She tried to squint her eyes in hopes of finding a door or some form of an exit. Chie did the same until she spoke up.

“Um… Which way did we come in from…? Because I don’t see a way in… Or out!”

Megumi began to look around yet again. There had to be a way out of this place!

“Th-that can’t be right!” Yosuke shouted. “How can that be?!”

“I don’t know!” Chie’s voice became more agitated and panicked. “I can’t take this, I wanna go home!”

“Okay, so how?!” Yosuke barked.

“Maybe we should look for a way out,” Megumi suggested as she tried to maintain her composure.

“Y-yeah… You’re right,” Yosuke said as he attempted to take deep breaths.

“But…” Chie became dejected. “Is there really a way out…?”

“Well, we got in. There must be some sort of exit,” Megumi said as she pulled out her phone. “… No service…?”

“Wha-” Yosuke pulled out his phone to check. “… Well. What a surprise.”

Megumi then put her phone up and looked around one more time. “Let’s go find a way out.”

~*~

The trio walked away from the main spot and they began to enter a building that looked like an apartment. Through the thick fog, the sky was extremely unusual, with red and black stripes as far as the eye can see.

“Ugh, this fog’s so thick,” Yosuke complained. “I can hardly see anything.”

“Are we going in a right direction…?” Chie asked.

“I can’t say for sure, but we’ll have to trust our instincts a little.”

“Well, from the layout, I think this is an apartment building,” Megumi observed the doors they passed by. “These doors won’t open, but there’s one over there.” She then pointed at an open door at the very end of the building.

The trio then wondered into the home. To each of their horror, however, the room was a dead end. Also, the room itself looked trashed as there were several posters with cutouts.

“This just keeps getting creepier,” Yosuke said. Suddenly he began to fidget. “Argh! Can’t… hold it… anymore…!”

“Wh-?!” Megumi jumped. “G-go outside if you have to!”

“No way!” Yosuke shouted as he ran to a corner of the room. The sound of a zipper can be heard.

“You’re going in here?!” Chie exclaimed while her palm meets her forehead. “Oh, you have got to be kidding…!”

“W-would you two wait outside?!” Yosuke shouted.

“We’re not gonna wait outside for you!” Megumi retorted. “I told you that first!”

“And let something try to jump me while I’m trying to take a piss?!”

“The same could’ve happened to us too!”

“A-at least turn around! I can’t go if you two are watching!”

Megumi’s face scrunched up while Chie rolled her eyes. Despite the two not looking at his direction, the headphone-clad boy groaned in defeat. “I can’t do it… It’s your fault if my bladder bursts!”

“Like I care,” Chie grumbled.

“I told you to go outside,” Megumi sighed in irritation.

Yosuke then zipped up his fly and turned around. However, his irritability changed to something more dreadful. “… Uh, dude…” Megumi and Chie also noticed what Yosuke was looking at. “This chair and rope… That kind of arrangement is never good…”

The boy couldn’t be more right, as there was a chair standing alone in the room with a rope tied into a noose. However, Megumi peered at the rope and noticed something different about it. “… Is that a scarf…?”

“C-c’mon, let’s try to find another exit…” Chie said as she held up her head. “I’m not feeling so good…”

“Now that you mentioned it, me too…” Yosuke agreed as he and Chie began to wobble out of the room.

“I… think Chie is right, we need to get out of here,” Megumi said as she held her head as well. Her body felt heavy and her head felt like a hot balloon ready to burst.

Before she exited the room, Megumi got a good look at one of the several posters in the room. _/Have I seen this poster before…?/_

~*~

“We finally made it back…” Chie commented as they reached the place where they first dropped in. The Yasogami students became progressively worse as they were fatigued. If they could not find a way out…

“Huh…?” Megumi said as she looked up. “What’s that…?”

As Yosuke and Chie looked in the same direction as Megumi, a round figure began to approach them. As it got closer, it looked like a blue bear wearing a red and white suit and it also had huge expressive eyes.

“Wh-what is that…?” Chie asked, trying to figure out the creature that was approaching them. “Is that a monkey…? Or a bear…?”

“What in the world…?!” Yosuke was at a loss for words.

“Th-that’s what I wanna know!” The bear thing spoke. “What are you guys doing here…?”

“O-oh, it talked…” Megumi said, taking a step back.

“H-hey! What’re you?! You wanna fight?!” Chie took up a defensive position.

The bear began to cower. “D-don’t yell at me like that…” It then ran behind Megumi to hide.

“Uh… what’re you doing?” Megumi looked over to the strange bear. “But, more importantly, can you tell us where we are?”

“This place is what it is,” the bear replied, not budging. “It doesn’t have a name. This is where I live.” All three teenagers began to look confused, but the bear changed the subject. “But, if I were you guys, I’d go back to the other side. The Shadows will get violent if you stay here…”

“Huh? Shadows…?” Megumi asked. _/Just what is going on…?/_

“Lately, someone’s been throwing people in here,” the bear added. “It’s been a huge headache.”

“Throwing people in…? Wh-what’re you talking about?” Yosuke inquired.

The bear became agitated. “I don’t know who’s been doing it, but they need to stop! They’re disrupting the peace here!”

“Hey!” Chie retorted, scaring the strange creature again. “Don’t yell at us! What gives you the right to do that?!” She then began to barrage him with the same questions being asked.

“I-I already told you!” the bear said, feeling the pressure from Chie’s questions. “Y-you should hurry back!”

“You want us out so bad, right?” Yosuke began with irritation in his voice. “Well guess what? So do we! We just don’t know how, dammit!”

“Mrrrm, that’s what I said! I’ll let you guys out!” the bear fired back.

“Wait… huh?” Before Megumi could say anything else, a stack of TVs appeared before the group. They looked like the old box models with one of them sporting the wire rabbit ears.

“What the hell?!”

“Where did those TVs come from?!”

Yosuke, Chie, and Megumi grouped together to get a closer look until they were being pushed in by the bear.

“Go, go!” the bear said as he continued to push. “Get outta here! I’m a busy bear!”

“Wha- Wait! Hey!”

“What’s going on now?! Hey!!”

“Stop pushing!”

~*~

“Oof!”

The teenagers found themselves back in Junes, from the same location where they fell in.

“Is… Is this…?” Chie said as she began to stand up.

“Did we… make it back?” Yosuke asked as he stood up as well.

“….. Ow…” Megumi grumbled as she got up. “That… was less than graceful…”

To affirm their location, a sales announcement blared over the PA system.

“Crap, it’s already that late?” Yosuke said in his astonishment.

“It looks like we were in there for quite a while…” Chie said as she rolled her shoulder.

“… How’re you guys feeling?” Megumi asked as she rubbed one of the temples of her forehead. “I really don’t feel good…”

“I still feel like crap,” Yosuke affirmed, the tiredness in his eyes apparent.

“Me too…” Chie said, with her face pale.

“… Hm?” Yosuke then noticed something. “Hey, you two. Check out that poster over there.” He began to point at a specific part of the wall.

“What now?” Chie said as she and Megumi looked when suddenly the realization hit them.

“Oh… I couldn’t tell because the face was cut out,” Megumi spoke up. “But the person from the poster in there is Misuzu Hiiragi…”

“She’s been all over the news lately,” Chie affirmed. The gray-haired girl nodded, as she still couldn’t escape from that scandalous story.

“I wonder…” Yosuke mused. “Could that weird room we were in be related to that Yamano lady’s death…? There was that creepy noose hanging from the ceiling…”

Megumi frowned. She honestly wished she would forget about what they just saw.

“Arrrgh! Stop! No more!” Yosuke sputtered. “I’m just gonna wipe what I just saw from my memory. I don’t think my poor heart can take it anymore…”

“I think… I wanna go home and lay down…” Chie weakly said.

“Me too…” Megumi chimed in.

~*~

 

By the time Megumi got home, the rain fell at a steady pace. To her surprise, her uncle was home tonight. Nanako looked at her cousin with concern as Megumi’s walking pace was sluggish.

“Welcome back, Megumi,” Dojima said.

“Thanks…” The teenager said as she slumped onto her seat. This rain didn’t help her ailment any. In fact, it made it worse.

“Huh?” Dojima noticed Nanako’s gaze fixed on Megumi. “Are you sick? You must be adjusting to the area still. It happens a lot.”

“… Yeah…” Megumi affirmed. She honestly wanted to go to bed and sleep for a week.

“Nanako, can you get her some cold medicine?”

The little girl nodded and followed her dad’s instruction as she got up to go get it.

“Before you go to bed,” Dojima began but then, he hesitated. “Um… I’d doubt you would know anything… But have you heard about a student named Saki Konishi?”

Megumi blinked. “… I’ve heard that she didn’t come to school today…”

“Uhm… Yes, that is true…” Dojima tried to piece his words together. “Well, we got a call from her family. She’s disappeared.”

Megumi’s eyes widened. _/Disappeared…? How?/_

“We got people looking for her, but no luck so far,” Dojima confirmed.

Nanako returned with the medicine and Megumi took it. As she got up and limped to her room, she could hear that news. It was a further update of Mayumi Yamano. Sources have found that she had been staying at the Amagi Inn. Now that Megumi thought about it, it happened to be the inn that Yukiko’s family ran.

But all this became irrelevant as she reached to her room and closed the door. She tore off her uniform and changed into her sleepwear. She unceremoniously greeted her bed and grabbed an extra blanket nearby. Soon after, the warm embrace of sleep enveloped her.

However, worse things were yet to come…


	6. Chapter 5: I'll Face Myself

**Friday, April 15th 2011**

 

It was yet another rainy day in Inaba as Megumi headed to school once again. She recovered from being sick, but she carried unease in her heart. It started with Dojima leaving before she even came downstairs. Nanako looked worried about her dad, which tipped off the gray-haired girl that something might have happened.

Along the way to school, she heard the students chattering more than usual. They were commenting about something along the lines of ‘police cars’ and ‘incident’. Megumi could even hear police sirens on her way, which did little to ease her worries.

By the time the afternoon rolled in, the rest of the classes were postponed for an assembly. Most of the students were gossiping. Chie was preoccupied with checking her phone, as Yukiko did not come to school today. Yosuke barely said a word to anyone as he wore a face of apprehension.

“Yukiko said she’d be here by lunch…” Chie grumbled as she put up her phone.

“Do you think she’s that bogged down at her family’s inn?” Megumi asked, curious about Yukiko’s duties.

Chie had to think for a moment as she tilted her head to her right side. “Hmm… It doesn’t happen a whole lot, but… Hmm, I don’t know…” She then changed the subject. “But right now, I wonder why they’re holding a school assembly all of a sudden.”

“I hope it’s nothing bad,” Megumi said as she shifted her weight from one foot to another. She then looked at Yosuke, whose silence was unusual. “… You okay?”

“Hm?” Yosuke noticed both Megumi and Chie looking at him. “Oh… It’s nothing.”

The girls only blinked at him, deciding that this was unlike him. Something was off and Megumi’s curiosity became too much to be kept inside. But before either her or Chie could ask him, the teacher ordered the chatter to settle down. The Yasogami principal walked over to the podium with a somber look on his face.

“I… regret to inform you that I have a terrible announcement,” the principal began. “One of our third-year students, Ms. Saki Konishi…”

Megumi’s breath hitched as dread began to fill her heart. She knew this was not going to be good news.

“….. Ms. Saki Konishi of Class 3 has passed away.”

The collective atmosphere broke out in astonished whispers as the reality began to sink in. Megumi’s eyes widened at this revelation. Chie echoed the other students’ reactions while Yosuke’s face twisted with grief. Megumi then looked at him and wanted to say something, but no words could come.

“Ms. Konishi was found deceased early this morning,” the principal continued his announcement. “The reasons for her passing are currently under investigation by the police. If they ask for your cooperation, then I ask you to only provide the facts.”

The principal’s speech continued on while the students continued to whisper to each other. Chie and Megumi glanced at the silent Yosuke numerous times throughout the entire assembly, but neither of the girls could say anything to him.

~*~

After the assembly, Chie and Megumi began to head back to their homeroom. Along the way, they heard more gossip about Saki. Her death was similar to Mayumi Yamano’s, except that her body was hanging from a telephone pole. Ridiculous theories were tossed around too, such as poison being the cause of death.

“Hey, guys…”

Chie and Megumi turned around and saw that Yosuke called them. He approached them with grief weighing him down.

“Did you guys check out the TV last night?”

Megumi shook her head. “I was too sick after we got back, so I went straight to bed. Why…?”

“Oh, c’mon, Yosuke. Not you too…” Chie grumbled. She was tired of hearing about anything regarding a TV at this point.

“Will you listen for a sec?” Yosuke muttered back. “Something bothered me, so I decided to watch it again.”

Megumi blinked. “….. And what did you see…?”

The boy sighed to himself. “I think the girl on the screen… was Saki-senpai…”

Both of the girls gasped a bit. To Megumi, this began to look like something that she inadvertently got herself into. Only this time, she was unable to walk away from it.

“I watched it last night…” Yosuke began to look to the side in apprehension. “And Senpai… She looked like she was in pain. Then… she disappeared from the screen.”

Both Chie and Megumi looked at each other and then back at Yosuke.

“You heard how they found Senpai’s body, right? It’s similar to that announcer’s. And Chie, remember how you told us that some guy went on about how the Yamano lady is his soulmate, right?” Chie silently nodded. “Well… I thought that… maybe she died on the Midnight Channel too…”

Megumi took a moment to digest this. It may sound absurd to most people, but after witnessing the events that sprawled over a few days… Yosuke’s theory actually held weight.

“… Are you saying…” Chie said with a hushed tone. “… People who appear on TV… die?”

“I can’t say for sure,” Yosuke said. “But I can’t just dismiss it. Not like this…”

Chie sighed to herself in disbelief while Megumi’s uneasiness grew.

“Then,” The gray-haired girl picked up on the train of thought. “… You’re thinking that the Midnight Channel has something to do with the recent deaths…?”

Yosuke gave a silent nod. “You heard that bear thing we ran into… And the room we found… It’s not just me, is it…?”

Megumi wanted to disagree. She wanted to turn her back from this. She wanted to have some semblance of her life that was not tied to TVs and bears and death. But…

She desired to find the truth the most. “… Given what we witnessed yesterday… No, it’s not just you.”

Yosuke nodded, slightly surprised that someone agreed with him. “I’m sorry to ask you, but I need your help, Megumi.”

“Yosuke… Don’t tell me that you’re not…” Chie warily said.

“….. I think I want to go back. I want to find out for myself. I need to know why Senpai had to die like this.” The headphone-clad boy said with a somber tone. He then looked at Megumi again. “I’m sorry… But you’re the only one who can help me.”

Megumi was at a loss for words. Was this a good idea?

“I’m gonna go ahead and take off. Meet me at Junes, okay?” Yosuke then turned and ran off, never looking back even once.

Chie sighed to herself. “There’s no guarantee that we’ll get out safely again. What do you think, Megumi-chan…?”

“Uh?” Megumi pondered to herself. “It is true that we may not be able to escape… But… This is not just about Yosuke. This may be something much bigger. And…” She sighed to herself. “I want to find out too.”

“Megumi-chan…” Chie frowned, which Megumi felt slight guilt for involving her like this.

“… I won’t ask you to come with us, Chie. You don’t have to worry about this.” Megumi gave a weak smile and then ran to her shoe box to change her shoes out.

“Oh no…” Chie mumbled to herself, and then she ran to her shoe box as well. How could she turn her back after all this? She was heavily involved in this as well.

~*~

 

Megumi and Chie walked to the electronics department of Junes and found Yosuke over by the same TV that they went in yesterday. He was holding a golf club and rope and his face lit up upon seeing them.

“You guys came!” He said with a smile.

“I made my decision,” Megumi affirmed.

“I still think this is a bad idea,” Chie chimed in. “Don’t be idiots! This is too dangerous! Do you even know what you’re getting into?”

“I know…” Yosuke said. “But we managed to come back before, right? If we go to the same location, maybe we’ll find the bear again.”

“That’s not good enough!” Chie retorted. “Why don’t you just leave this to the police?”

“Look, Chie, the cops won’t believe us about what’s going on. Besides, I can’t act like this has nothing to do with me.” Yosuke then turned to Megumi. “What about you, Megumi?”

Megumi darted her eyes to Chie. “Actually… I agreed on helping you, but I’m more worried about Chie coming with us. There’s no telling what might happen over there.”

“…..” Yosuke made a quick decision. “… Alright. It’ll be just you and me.”

“Wha-?!” Chie squeaked incredulously. “B-but…”

“Don’t worry, I came up with a plan.” Yosuke then handed the rope to the green jacket girl. “I’m leaving this with you.”

“A rope…?”

“We’ll go in with this tied to me,” Yosuke said as he pointed at the rope. “Wait here and don’t let go.”

“Is this a lifeline…?” Chie raised an eyebrow. “W-wait a second…”

“And here, Megumi. This is for self-defense.” Yosuke handed the gray-haired girl the golf club.

Megumi inspected it, noting the heavier end had some weight. “Eh… It’s not a tennis racket, but alright.” She then had a second thought as she looked at him. “Hey… You are gonna protect me, right…?”

“H-huh?” Yosuke was thrown off by this sudden moment. “Y-yeah, but that’s just in case something gets past me…”

“Oh…” _/Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence./_ “….. Alright. Well, I’m ready when you are.”

“Yeah,” Yosuke nodded. “Let’s go.”

Megumi nodded back to him and on cue, despite Chie’s protests, the two students ran into the TV and entered into the strange world…

~*~

Thud!

“O-ow…”

Yosuke landed on his behind and groaned a little while Megumi managed to land on her feet. The two then took a look around.

“Hey, this is the same place as last time! So they are connected from place to place!” Yosuke blurted out.

“Y-you guys… Why did you come back…?”

The teenagers then turned her attention to a voice. The bear from last time walked up to them again, astonished of their presence.

“Oh, it’s the bear again,” Megumi noted.

The bear did not look pleased to see them, however. “Now I get it…! You’re the ones behind this!”

“H-huh?” Megumi was taken back by this sudden accusation.

“What the hell did you just say?!” Yosuke said, with confusion and anger in his tone.

The bear then began to speak again. “Lately I can tell that someone’s been throwing people in here. It’s making this world more messed up… This is the second time I’ve seen you guys and I don’t think anyone’s forced you in. That would make you two the most suspicious!”

Megumi’s eyebrows began to furrow. _/Who does this bear think it is?! And I was actually nice to it yesterday!/_ “It wasn’t us!”

“What do you mean, ‘throwing people in’?!” Yosuke fired back. “If someone got stuck in here and can’t get out, they might die!”

Megumi then stopped herself from saying anything else. “Hey… Wait a minute…” She then looked at Yosuke, who had thought of something as well.

“Wait… Speaking of throwing people in here…” He then looked at Megumi. “Do you think he meant Senpai and the announcer?”

“… Were they thrown in by someone…?” Megumi finished Yosuke’s line of thinking. “With the intention to kill?”

“That’s just assuming that bear’s telling the truth,” Yosuke said. “But still… I think that’s what happened…”

“Raaaaawr, what’re you guys talking about?” The bear said in agitation. “Why are you here anyway?! It’s a one-way door, remember?! You can’t get out unless I help you!”

“Yeah, whatever,” Yosuke brushed off the creature. “We don’t need your help this time! You see here? We brought a lif-”

“Uh, Yosuke.” Megumi interrupted him. “… The lifeline… It’s…”

Both teenagers then noticed that their planned route of escape was now gone, with the rope cut.

“Whaaaat?!” Yosuke shouted. He then turned his attention back to the bear. “Hey! You better let us out once we’re done investigating here!”

The bear growled. “I’m the one who’s doing the investigating! I’ve lived here for a long time and it’s never been as noisy before! Do you two have proof?! Prove to me that you’re not throwing people in here!”

“But how do we prove it’s not us?” Megumi asked. “Assuming we’re guilty until proven innocent doesn’t work out that way!”

“Ah-ha!” The bear then pointed at Megumi. “So you do admit it! You really are the culprits!”

Yosuke was getting pissed off by the second. “For the last time, it’s not us! We have nothing to prove to you!”

“This isn’t like the last time we came here,” Megumi explained. “Last time it was by accident. This time we have a reason.”

“Listen, you. People are dying in our world. Whenever a fog appears, a dead body shows up with it.” Yosuke also explained. “There must be a connection! If you know something, tell us!”

The bear became confused. “A dead body…? Whenever the fog appears…?” It then began to cooperate. “I do know that if it gets foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. That’s when it gets very dangerous here because the Shadows become violent…”

“… You mentioned Shadows before too,” Megumi said. “What exactly are they?”

Instead of answering her question, the bear shook its head. “Alright, no more questions! I know you guys did it! Stop it right now!”

Yosuke appeared close to losing his temper. “I told you for the hundredth time, we’re not the ones that did it! I’ve about had it with you! Why the hell won’t you listen to us?!”

The bear began to back off. “I-I’m just saying that you’re the suspicious ones…”

“Yeah? You keep telling us to prove our innocence, but you’re the most suspicious one here!” Yosuke thundered as he approached the creature. “You’re not making any sense and you won’t listen to a damn thing we said! And what’s with the bear costume?! I think it’s time to show your face!”

“... Wait a sec, Yosuke!”

The headphone-clad boy ignored Megumi and tackled the bear. After rolling around on the ground with the bear screaming and flailing around, he managed to grab the zipper and pulled it around the body. However, there was nothing inside the costume and it frightened Yosuke into scrambling backward.

“Wh-wh-what the hell…?!”

Megumi slightly scowled as she walked up to the headless bear. “That was going a little too far. Although… I’m kind of surprised too. It’s empty in there…”

“Kind of?” Yosuke raised an eyebrow. “That’s just weird…! How does it work?!”

Megumi shrugged as picked up the bear’s head and placed it back on the body. The bear appeared to be back to normal, or in its own definition of normal. “Th-thank you! You’re a lot nicer than the other guy.”

Yosuke produced a deadpan look on his face. “Weren’t you worried? What if that bear’s the culprit?”

Megumi frowned. “If it really was, then why would it let us escape from here before? Besides, what happened to the whole ‘if they get past you first’ chivalry spiel?”

Before Yosuke was able to produce an answer, the bear spoke up in a sad tone. “Me…? The culprit…? I wouldn’t do that… I just live here… And I want to live here in peace… Is that too much to ask…?”

Yosuke said nothing as he stood up. He then felt a little guilty for tackling the bear like that.

“Okay… I’ll believe that you two are not the culprits,” the bear reached a conclusion. “But on one condition. I want you guys to find the real one and make him stop. You have to promise me, or else…” Yosuke and Megumi looked at the bear with their full attention. “I’m not gonna let you guys leave.”

Megumi slightly frowned while Yosuke grumbled in annoyance. “You little–!”

“I-I’m sorry!” The bear’s eyes began to water. “But this can’t continue! My home here will be a complete mess! And then… And…” It could no longer make any coherent sentences as it began to bawl.

“H-hey! Why’re you crying for?!” Yosuke groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “This thing’s really weirding me out…”

Megumi once again approached the bear and kneeled down. “Hey, calm down.” She reassured the bear by petting the top of its head, which she noted the softness of its fur. “We can work together. You want someone to stop throwing people in here, right?”

It stopped crying and began to listen to Megumi. “… Y-yeah…”

“And we want to know why people are dying. If we work together, we’ll be able to meet our goals. At least I hope so.”

The bear then looked at her. “… You promise…?”

Megumi nodded with a little smile. “I promise.”

Yosuke blinked and then grumbled again, annoyed at how the creature listened to Megumi willingly. “Damn bear… He’s practically holding a gun to our heads…”

“Th-thank you!” The bear smiled brightly. “You’re so nice!”

Megumi nervously chuckled. Her? Nice? That compliment did not come her way very often. Maybe to most people, she appeared unfriendly. It wasn’t that she was a troublemaker, it just happens that trouble had a tendency to find her sometimes. This time, she had dived head-first into a situation that was unlike anything she ever experienced.

Megumi then looked at Yosuke. “So… You in on this?”

“Well, not like I have any choice,” The boy said as he shrugged. “But… Finding the culprit, huh? Bring it on!”

“Oh yeah,” The girl then thought of something as she stood up. “Might as well introduce ourselves. My name’s Megumi Ueno.”

“And I’m Yosuke Hanamura. You got a name?”

“… Teddie.”

Megumi raised her eyebrow up. _/Well, that’s a simple name./_

“Heh… Figures,” Yosuke said in a sarcastic tone. He then became serious again. “So… How do we find the culprit in the first place?”

Teddie shrugged. “I don’t know… Oh!” He then realized something. “I do know where the last person came in.”

Both of the teenagers blinked for a moment until it hit Yosuke. “… A-are you talking about Saki-senpai?!”

“I don’t know any names. Just the location of where this person showed up and then disappeared. But I can take you guys there!”

“You would?” Megumi spoke up. “We might find some clues there.”

“Oh, but before we go,” Teddie then produced a pair of glasses, one in orange frames and another in gray. “You two should put these on first.”

“Glasses…?” Megumi looked at her pair, the gray one, with mild curiosity. They looked normal…

“What’re they for?” Yosuke asked as he and Megumi put them on. “… Whoa!”

Megumi’s mouth hung open for a moment. As soon as she put on her glasses, the visibility became much clearer. “… Interesting. I can see a huge difference with these on.”

“Yeah, the difference is like night and day,” Yosuke commented as he looked around at his surroundings. “It’s like the fog doesn’t exist!”

“They’ll help you walk through the fog,” Teddie said as he pointed at a direction. “This way is where the last person was at. Follow me!”

~*~

It was a short walk from the entrance area, but the area that the trio of Megumi, Yosuke, and Teddie came to appeared very familiar to the teenagers.

“It looks like the shopping district,” Yosuke said. “But why is it so weird…?”

Megumi has only come through the real version of this place a couple times, so she was less familiar with the area. However, she turned her head and noticed Teddie holding back a bit further. “Uh… Teddie? Why’re you back there?”

“Huh? O-oh!” Teddie flustered a bit when Yosuke also turned his head to see what was going on. “W-well, I’m just over here to give you moral support!”

“What the hell’s that suppose to mean?!” The boy groaned. “You better not high-tail it if something happens!”

“Of course not!” Then Teddie began to blush and whistled a little. “I just didn’t want to get too close to you two! E-especially the nicer one…” He started to nervously chuckle.

Megumi noticed the redness of Teddie’s cheeks and quirked up an eyebrow. _/Did he… just imply something?/_

“Hrrrm,” Yosuke mumbled as the trio continued to walk through the alternate version of the shopping district. “Out of all the places, why this one…?”

“How should I know?” Teddie said. “This is the reality for the one who’s here.”

“Reality…?” Megumi didn’t understand what Teddie just said.

Yosuke only sighed as he gave up trying to understand the cryptic vibe of Teddie’s words a short while ago. “Since we’re here, then we’re not too far from Senpai’s–”

“W-wait a second!” Teddie stopped the two teenagers and he began to cower in fear.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” Megumi asked as she felt the uneasiness in her heart again.

“… They’re here.”

“What?” Yosuke asked.

“….. Shadows. I had a feeling that they were going to attack…”

_/… Oh, you have got to be kidding./_

It didn’t take too long until something hostile began to materialize from the dark alleys and corners of the fake shopping district. A few blue masks attached to globs of what appeared to be inky darkness approached the trio and they had transformed into spheres with exaggerated tongues in their mouths and pink zebra print all over the bodies.

“Wh-what–” Yosuke was at a loss for words and he ended up stumbling away from them. Megumi’s breathing began to hitch as she held onto the golf club tightly. She figured that despite Yosuke’s words, he probably wouldn’t be able to protect her if he didn’t possess a weapon. She had to stand up and protect him!

One of the spheres charged for Yosuke, but Megumi ran forward and swung the club at it. The impact sent the creature flying, but another one closed in on her. She swung again but the club broke on her as that creature was driven back. On cue, all three of the monsters then charged towards her.

“Megumi!!”

Suddenly, time stood still.

‘ _I am thou…’_

Megumi’s head began to pound again and she grunted in pain.

‘ _Thou art I…’_

‘ _Thy time has come…’_

‘ _Open thy eyes and call forth what is within…’_

Her head then stopped hurting and before she could grasp what just happened, there was a blank card in her hand. An aura began to encase her in its light. She raised up both of her hands and the card began to float between them.

Her mind was clear. There was something within her. It was time. She must unleash the power within and rise up to protect those that couldn’t defend themselves. Her lips slowly changed into a smile.

“Per… so… na!”

She could hear glass shatter as the bright light consumed her. The spheres stopped in their tracks, bewildered by what was happening. Yosuke and Teddie gawked at her with awe. Megumi screamed at the top of her lungs as her hands clasped together to smash the card.

By the time the light began to subside, a figure dressed in black clothing appeared in front of Megumi. It had a feminine build, with what looked like a cross between a jacket and a dress covering most of its body. It’s long strands each had single loops. In its hand carried a long blade.

“… Izanagi…” Megumi whispered the being’s name. The sphere monsters began to look distressed but then decided to charge for her again. With a single look, Izanagi bolted ahead.

One of the spheres quickly met its end when Izanagi swung her sword with ease. The other two backed off in the attempt to flank her, but she quickly dodged the attack. She pointed her blade at one and electricity struck it. The last one managed to tackle her from behind, which Megumi felt that one.

“Oof! Damn you…!” Megumi cursed as Izanagi charged again and stabbed the last monster. The girl looked around and sighed in relief as the coast was clear. Izanagi then approached her.

“… You’re my Persona… You’re my other self… Am I right…?”

Izanagi gazed at Megumi wordlessly but she seemed to have affirmed this fact. The black figure then disappeared into thin air.

Yosuke got up and ran over to the girl. “Whoa! What was that just now!?”

“Uh…” Megumi wasn’t sure how to put this in words. “I’m… not sure myself…”

“I heard you call that cool thing ‘Izanagi’! Before that, you said something like ‘Persona’! Wh-what did you do?!”

Teddie then approached the two. “Calm down, Yosuke. You’re troubling Megumi-sensei.”

Both teenagers blinked. “Wait, ‘sensei’?” Yosuke asked. This was the first time someone ever called Megumi that.

The bear showered her with compliments. “You’re so amazing! I’m one impressed bear! Not only are you a nice person, but you have amazing powers! No wonder the Shadows were scared of you!”

“… Those things that just attacked us, Teddie… Those were Shadows?” Megumi asked. Teddie nodded in confirmation.

“Then that means…” Teddie gasped as he realized something about the girl. “Are you the one that’s able to bring people in here?!”

“Uh… Yeah.”

Teddie began to be giddy with excitement. “Th-that’s what I thought! You’re so cool! Don’t you think so, Yosuke?!” He turned to the boy in question.

However, he frowned and pushed Teddie. “Dude, you call her ‘sensei’ and you don’t show me any respect?!”

“Sorry…” Teddie looked down.

“But,” Yosuke looked at his classmate. “I do have to agree, that was really awesome. And… Uh, sorry that I couldn’t do anything. I, uh... choked up a bit..."

Megumi only shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. I only did what I thought is right.”

Yosuke slightly nodded. “Yeah… Anyway, I think I may know where Saki-senpai may have disappeared. C’mon!”

Yosuke lead Megumi and Teddie to the far end of the district…


	7. Chapter 6: Shameful Metaphors

**Friday, April 15th 2011**

 

Megumi, Yosuke, and Teddie reached to the end of the fake shopping district, stopping in front of a certain store that Yosuke was familiar with. The storefront appeared normal enough, but there were crates nearby and the window was painted with the sign, 'Konishi Liquors'.

“Here it is! This is the liquor store run by Senpai’s family!” Yosuke shouted, astonished that even this building was replicated.

Suddenly, the sound of people talking began to occur. The trio looked around, but they did not see anyone else as the voices became more concentrated…

_‘I really wish Junes would go under…’_

_‘It’s all because of that store!’_

“H-huh…?” Megumi said as she appeared bewildered.

_‘Oh, haven’t you heard? Konishi-san’s daughter is working there.’_

_‘Oh my, and her family is suffering enough as is?’_

_‘Their sales have gone downhill because of Junes! How could she do that to them?!’_

Yosuke appeared really troubled by the chatter. “St-stop it…”

_‘How terrible for her father… He must be so ashamed of her working for the enemy…’_

_‘Such a troublesome child…’_

Yosuke then started to get Teddie’s attention as he tried to ignore the voices. “Hey, Ted! Is this what you mean by ‘this is the reality for the one who’s here’?!”

“I… I only know what’s over here,” Teddie tried to explain, but the fawn-haired boy was not satisfied by it.

“Fine,” Yosuke sighed to himself and steeled himself. “Whatever’s going on… We’ll find out.”

Megumi and Teddie nodded to this sentiment and followed him in. Inside the liquor store, many crates and barrels were stacked on top of either other. There were a lot of papers surrounding the area as well. Then, the voices picked up, much to Yosuke's irritation.

“Dammit, not again…” He cursed.

_‘Saki! How many times do I have to tell you?!’_

Yosuke seemed to have recognized the voice. “Is that… Senpai’s dad?”

“…..” Megumi began to frown as she did not like it when people yell at each other. She was already feeling uncomfortable in this atmosphere.

_‘Are you aware of what the neighbors say about you?! You’re the eldest daughter of a family that’s owned this business for generations! I want to know why! Why?! Did you need the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work THERE of all places!’_

“I… I don’t get it…” Yosuke became visibly upset. “She looked like she had fun at work… She never told me anything like this to me…”

“Yosuke…” Megumi said with the frown still fixed on her face. She began to feel sorry for the poor boy.

“… Is this how she really saw things?!”

The boy then noticed something on a counter and ran up to it with Megumi and Teddie following him. They saw cut-up photographs scattered across with all of them having Saki in it…

“These photos…” Yosuke picked up one. “Hey, this one’s the photo we took with the other part-timers at Junes the other day. Wh-why is it all cut up?”

From what Megumi can see, Saki was in the picture smiling. Standing next to her was Yosuke, only his face was cut out.

_‘I never had the chance to say it…’_

Yosuke gasped. “S-Saki-senpai?!” Megumi looked around to see any signs or hints, but there was no sign of Saki. She continued to speak.

_‘I always wanted to tell Hana-chan…’_

Yosuke’s attention stood at full attention and he began to produce a faint blush.

_‘….. That he was a real pain in the ass.’_

… And his world came to a screeching halt. “… Wh… What…?”

_‘I was nice to him because he’s the son of the store manager. That’s all… But that idiot completely takes everything I say the wrong way. What a dip.’_

Yosuke couldn’t find the words to produce a reaction as he quietly listened to her voice.

_‘I don’t care anymore… Who cares about Junes anyway? And the shopping district, my parents, the neighbors, everyone… They can all go rot and die!’_

“… Why…” Yosuke found his voice, but it was very shaky. “This is all a lie… She… Senpai's… She’s just not like that!”

The gray-haired girl reached her hand up to touch his shoulder, but something unearthly began to talk and she quickly retracted her hand back.

“It's… so sad… I feel so sorry for myself… Boo hoo hoo…”

Megumi could’ve sworn that it sounded like Yosuke, but the voice was distorted. As the trio looked at a direction, all three were shocked to see another Yosuke approaching them. The other thing that was different with this one was the eerie glow of his yellow eyes.

“If you were to ask me… I think they’re all a giant pain in the ass!”

“… Wh-why is there two Yosukes…?” Megumi asked Teddie as the real Yosuke ran up to his doppelganger.

“I-I don’t know, Sensei…” Teddie said with worry in his tone.

“Who are you?!” Yosuke said in the confrontation. “Th-that’s not what I think…”

The other Yosuke chuckled while his glowing eyes danced playfully. “Yeah right… How long are you gonna keep deluding yourself?” He began to circle around the real Yosuke. “Screw both the shopping district and Junes! You’re just sick and tired of everything, especially living out here in this dump!”

“Wh-what…? Th-that’s…”

“You put on a good show of being so happy and carefree because deep down, you fear the idea of being left alone! To block out the pain of isolation, you just gotta keep more company.”

Megumi wasn’t sure if she should say something or step in. She kept her eye on Yosuke, whose spirit was being demoralized by the second.

“Say… You said that you’ve come to this world for Saki-senpai, right?”

Yosuke began to panic as he crouched down. “Stop… Stop it!”

The other Yosuke started to laugh as he stood over the real one. “Why are you freaking out? I thought I was just pulling shit out of my ass! Or maybe, just maybe… I know what you’re really thinking.” He then walked up to the counter with the photos and with a smirk, he pushed it over. “You convinced that cute transfer student to go to the world inside the TV because there’s nothing to do out here in this backward shithole! This is way too exciting!”

Yosuke picked his head back up and noticed that his other self was now circling Megumi. “… Just… Just stop!”

Megumi also noticed the fake Yosuke eyeballing her and she kept her guard up. Teddie began to cower behind her.

“Heeey, you know something, me? If it all went well and if anything happened to Megumi here, you could be a hero! You’d just step in, put on a brave act and protect her! Am I right?!” The other Yosuke then tried to reach his hand out to Megumi.

“G-gah!” Megumi slapped the hand away and appeared irritated. This doppelganger was getting on her nerves and it must be stopped. “Teddie, do you got any ideas…?!”

“Ah-ahhhhh, I-I don’t know!” Teddie said. “But we gotta protect Yosuke!”

“H-hey!!” Yosuke shouted as he ran to face his dark self, his nerves all shot and emotions spilled all over.

“You know deep down… that Saki-senpai’s death is the perfect excuse to even bother coming out here.”

“Shut up!!” Yosuke screamed. “What are you? Just… who are you?!”

The other Yosuke only chuckled in the real one’s face. “I’m you. I’m your Shadow and there’s nothing I don’t know about you!”

“Screw that! I don’t know you! You’re not me, you son of a bitch!!”

After several moments of intense silence, the other Yosuke began to laugh maniacally. “That’s right! Say it again!”

“Y-you’re not me…” Yosuke said with a defeated look on his face. “You can’t be me… You’re nothing like me!”

“Humph,” the other Yosuke began to walk backward. “At least you’re right about one thing. I am ME now and I am not YOU.”

Dark energies began to fill the doppelganger until he became enshrouded. Once the energy disappeared, the other Yosuke transformed into a very large and menacing Shadow. It had the appearance of a four-legged camo frog with razor-sharp teeth and on top of it stood a black figure with a red scarf and large yellow hands.

“I am a Shadow… The true self…”

Megumi gawked at the sheer size of this monster until she noticed that Yosuke was about to be crushed underneath the monster’s fist. “Yosuke!” She ran forward and tackled the boy out of harm’s way. She turned him over to find that he has passed out. “H-hey! Hey, Yosuke!”

“Megumi-sensei, we have to do something about that monster!” Teddie cried out as he flailed his arms.

“R-right… You watch him, Teddie!” She then stood up and a card materialized in her hand. Knowing what must be done, she promptly crushed it. “Persona!”

Izanagi appeared and began to engage in combat with the Shadow version of Yosuke. She proved to be nimble as she dodged the wild swings but at the same time, she had a hard time landing a single hit on the monster.

Megumi looked around the area. Since she lost the golf club, she did not have a weapon to defend herself. The girl spotted some broken wood from one of the crates that the Shadow destroyed. She wasted no time as she ran over to pick up a piece. With the Shadow distracted by Izanagi, Megumi rushed over and stabbed one of the back legs. It howled in pain and then suddenly, strong winds blew back Megumi and Izanagi. Izanagi crashed into a stack of barrels while Megumi skidded across the floor and hit one of the crates.

“Ugh…” Megumi got up and held herself in pain. Given that Izanagi also crashed, she hurt like hell. However, as long as that thing was still standing, it would kill her and Yosuke. She could not give up now!

“Mmm…” Yosuke slowly opened his eyes and sat up. “What…”

“Oh, Yosuke!” Teddie said as he helped the boy up to his feet. “This is bad! Your Shadow is out of control! If something doesn’t happen, I’m afraid Sensei won’t hold out much longer!”

“Megumi…?” He noticed the girl and her Persona fighting against the monster. “N-no…!” If something bad were to happen to her… Yosuke shook his head from that possibility. If anything happened to Megumi, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for the rest of his life.

“Listen to me!” Teddie shouted as he grabbed Yosuke’s arm. “That monster came from you! You’ll have to accept it so it’ll stop!”

Yosuke’s eyes widened and he hung his head. “… Th-that's… That’s not me…”

“Ugh!!”

Yosuke picked his head back up as Megumi crashed into another crate. She appeared to be in pain, however, she managed to get herself back up again. There was a fire in her eyes and she was willing to do whatever it took to subdue this Shadow. Even if it meant being bruised, bloodied, broken…

Yosuke couldn’t let this continue.

“…..” The boy sighed to himself inwardly. “Facing yourself sucks… But… He’s right. He’s absolutely right.”

“Huh?!” The Shadow suddenly stopped its movements and glanced at the real Yosuke.

“… I didn’t want to admit it, but it’s true. I wanted to be everyone’s friend… Even if they thought as me as someone to use or just a... pain in the ass. Hell, I even think of myself as a pain in the ass sometimes. But…”

“Wh-what’s going on!?” The Shadow’s will began to weaken and it was brought down to its knees. Megumi saw her opportunity and pounced on it.

“Izanagi!”

The black Persona pointed her blade and lightning came down on the Shadow. It screamed in pain as it fell forward in defeat. Shortly after, the frog body disappeared and what was left was the body of Yosuke’s Shadow doppelganger, who noticed the real one walking up to him with an enlightened, albeit hesitant face.

“When you get down to it,” Yosuke said as he knelt down to help his Shadow self up off the ground. “… All of this is a part of me. You’re me… and I’m you.”

The Shadow version of Yosuke nodded and smiled a little before it was engulfed in a white light. From that bright light, a figure appeared. It looked like a humanoid frog with ninja stars on its hands and head and its most notable accessory was a red scarf wrapped around the neck.

Yosuke had faced himself and acquired a facade to overcome life’s hardships.

“… Jiraiya… This is… my Persona…”

Megumi watched on in awe as she dismissed Izanagi. She hurt like hell and was going to be very sore tomorrow, but she prevailed. She felt a swell of pride within her as she managed to overcome what happened today.

Before anything else could be said, Yosuke fell down. Megumi ran up to him but she could see that he was alright. The only exception was the exhaustion on his face.

“I’m fine, Megumi…” Yosuke said as he tried to catch his breath. “Y'know something…? When we heard Senpai’s voice… I wonder if that’s what she kept deep down inside… ‘He was a real pain in the ass’, huh…” He began to laugh at himself, but it was hollow. “… This is all so embarrassing… Sorry…”

Megumi sighed to herself and held out her hand. “Don’t apologize. I only did what I could.”

Yosuke then noticed her hand and looked up at her. He then sighed as well and grabbed her hand.

Megumi pulled him up and brushed the debris off her skirt. “Let’s get out of here.”

Yosuke nodded and the trio began to walk back to the entrance. The boy was initially silent, but then he turned his head at Teddie. “Hey, Teddie?”

“Hmmm?” The bear looked at the boy.

“Could Senpai have been attacked by her other self here?”

“I think so,” Teddie nodded. “The Shadows here were originally born from humans. Whenever the fog clears here, they all go berserk… And then what you saw is exactly like what just happened. A Shadow with a stronger will draws others to it. Then… a big mass of Shadows kills the host.”

“That explains why people die when it gets foggy,” Megumi said.

As the three walked back, they discussed what they knew. Both teenagers concluded that Yamano and Saki died when the Shadows rose up and attacked them when the fog lifted. According to Teddie, the Shadows became violent when the fog lifts, although it did not happen very often. He also said that he had sensed two people before, but they had disappeared after the fog lifted. Yosuke implanted an idea that if someone else were to be thrown into the TV world, they could be saved before then. There was also a general consensus that the Shadows were hostile to those that choose to investigate this strange world, and thus viewed those who held the power of Persona as enemies…

In the very end, both Megumi and Yosuke agreed that the person who caused the deaths of Yamano and Saki must be captured.

Before they left the strange place, however, Teddie stopped them for a moment.

“If Shadows are born from humans… Then what was Teddie born from…?”

Megumi tilted her head with a confused look on her face. “You… don’t know anything about yourself…?”

“How should we know?!” Yosuke grumbled. “No wonder we couldn’t get a straight answer out of you.”

“Hmmm…” Then, Teddie asked another question. “Will you guys… return here…?”

Megumi nodded right away. “Of course. We’ve promised, haven’t we?”

“You mean… You’ll keep your word?”

“Well, you’re the one who said that you’re not letting us out of here,” Yosuke said, his demeanor calming down.

“O-oh!” Teddie seemed to have remembered and nodded. “Okay, I’ll let you guys out. Just one more thing…”

“Yes?”

“I’ll be waiting for you here.”

~*~

Megumi and Yosuke had returned to the real world safely. Sitting in front of them was a stunned Chie, who appeared shocked to see them again.

“Oh…!! Y-you, y-you guys came baaaaack…!”

“Oh, Chie,” Megumi said in surprise. “I… I’m so sorry…”

“What’s with that face?” Yosuke asked, but then he received his answer in form of the rope getting slammed into his face. “Ow!”

“Ugh! I’m so pissed off! The nerve of you two! You stupid idiots!!” Chie began to freak out.

“H-hey…” Megumi tried to calm her friend down, but her words fell on deaf ears.

“Th-the rope got cut off… I didn’t know what to do… I was so scared!!”

“Ch-Chie–”

“I was scared stiff, dammit!! You owe me BIG time!” The green jacket girl then ran away in tears.

“Uh…” Yosuke groaned. “….. Yeah, this really wasn’t a smart idea… Was it?”

“I think about ten grilled steaks are in order,” Megumi said with guilt laced in her tone. She and Yosuke then began to walk back to the entrance of Junes, but silence hung in the air between the two. The girl had a thought stuck in her mind and she decided to speak up. “So… I’m cute, huh?”

“H-huh?” Yosuke began to sputter. “… W-well… Not in the way I’d tell you, but…” He then nodded, as there was no point in lying to her now as a slight blush crept onto his face.

Megumi blinked for a moment. This certainly was not the first time a boy called her cute, but… “Well, it’d be the first time someone’s Shadow said that out loud.” A small smile began to form on her lips. “But, uh… Thanks.”

“Uh… You’re welcome?”

Both of them were silent for a moment until the point became obvious. With how things turned out, the two suddenly couldn't help but laugh.

“Phew,” Yosuke then turned to Megumi when they reached the entrance as the laughter died down. “Well, I’m gonna go home, take a nice shower and head straight to bed. I think… I’ll sleep really well tonight. But, uh… Are you gonna be alright? You’re not hurting too bad, are you…?”

“I’m still sore, but I’ll be alright. You just go home and rest.” Megumi nodded as she gave a tired smile and waved him off. “See you tomorrow!”

“Okay. Later!"

They parted ways and each of them began to head home. Both of them walked away with a slightly changed perspective.

~*~

 

It was an evening at the Dojima household, and it consisted of just Nanako and Megumi once again. They figured that since Saki’s corpse was found this early morning, Dojima wouldn’t be able to come home. After they finished dinner, Nanako began working on her chores. Megumi would offer to help, but the tired look on her face convinced her cousin otherwise. Instead, Nanako offered to start the bath for her.

While waiting, Megumi watched the news. It was a new report of Saki’s murder and its connection to the Mayumi Yamano case. There was also warnings about abnormal fog in Inaba once again. A part of Megumi wondered why there was so much fog, as the news explained that this area never had so much in a few years.

A different program came on, which featured the Amagi Inn. Megumi blinked and noticed that Yukiko was being interviewed. The gray-haired girl also noted how she looked so different and pretty in the pink kimono she wore. However, the reporter went off subject frequently during the interview, much to Yukiko's slight annoyance and confusion.

“Bath’s ready,” Nanako announced.

~*~

Megumi sighed in content as her muscles relaxed in the warm bath water. Her mind then began to wonder. A lot more had happened within a day. Both Yosuke and herself had received their Personas- Jiraiya and Izanagi respectively. Would they be able to save someone once they’ve been dumped into the Midnight Channel?

All they could do was try.

But how would they know? Megumi concluded that the best way would be to watch the Midnight Channel itself. Remembering the last time this happened, it would start with an image of someone… She hoped that the image wouldn’t be so grainy so that she would receive a fighting chance to help.

As she also thought up possible ways to apologize to Chie in the morning, she slowly closed her eyes…

Megumi opened them again and had found herself in the strange place that was called the Velvet Room, clad in her school uniform.

Inside the Velvet Room, Igor and Margaret spoke to her of her special Persona ability…

‘ _You have entered a contract of sorts, thus you have awakened to your glorious power. From this night forth, you shall be welcomed here as our guest in this Velvet Room. You will be required to hone your unique gift and thus, you will require our help in realizing so. It appears that the imminent catastrophe has come and already claimed lives. The mystery is now imposed on you, my dear. In order to cut through the fog, you must channel the inner strength of your heart. Your strength will come with your bonds, as you progress through your daily life. These bonds shall help light the way to the truth you seek…’_

Megumi jerked awake. It was that weird dream again. Who were those strange people?

‘ _Your Persona power is that of the wild card.’_

~*~

Midnight struck.

Megumi stood in front of her TV as she dried her hair. She waited for the Midnight Channel to air and not long after, it buzzed on. A person appeared on the screen! Megumi tried to get a good look at who it was. It appeared to be a lady wearing a kimono… But who would’ve fit to that description? Unfortunately, the graininess of the picture prevented her from identifying someone.

The girl then had an idea. She tried to put her hand in her TV, wondering that she would be able to touch the person. Her hand did go through successfully, but she felt nothing. At the same time, the picture was turned off.

She had the idea of calling Yosuke, but she realized that she did not obtain his number. Even if she already did, he needed his rest. Today’s events wore him out both physically and mentally. He did find out that the girl he had a crush on died today after all. She decided to hold this information off until tomorrow and went to bed.

The journey had just begun...


	8. Chapter 7: Low Brow Entertainment

**Saturday, April 16th 2011**

 

The next day rolled in and Megumi felt much better from her rest. In fact, she almost allowed her alarm clock to ring continuously. However, she figured that Dojima wouldn’t appreciate that. With awakening to a new power, it opened the girl's mind a little. When she recalled the words of Igor and Margaret, the concept of Personas extended beyond battle. Although they were right to discern the girl's lack of grasping this knowledge, they had proved to be patient with her. More on the subject would be revealed at a later date...

Yosuke interrupted Megumi's line of thinking by greeting her and stopping his bike right next to her. He appeared a lot better than he had before, but there was something on his mind. “You saw what was on last night, right?”

Megumi raised an eyebrow. “I did… But, I thought you were going to rest yesterday…”

“I did do that,” Yosuke reassured her. “But I remembered about the Midnight Channel. I couldn’t tell who it was, but this is something we can’t ignore.”

Megumi nodded. “I wonder who’s in there…” She began to walk again and Yosuke followed her.

“If this turns out to be a case where the victim is thrown into the TV, then it’s definitely the culprit,” Yosuke said as his expression turned serious. “If someone’s using that world as some kind of a weapon, that’s unforgivable. We need to find him and put a stop to this!”

Megumi nodded in agreement. “I’d like to keep my word too. We did promise Teddie.”

“You’re right,” Yosuke said. “Well, you in, Partner?” He stopped and extended his hand out.

Megumi cracked a small smile and took his hand and shook it. “I’m in, Partner.”

~*~

Before the morning classes began, Chie ran in with panic on her face. She told Megumi and Yosuke that she couldn’t get a hold of Yukiko. After she was brought up to speed concerning the TV world and yesterday’s events, this made her worry even more. On Yosuke’s suggestion, she attempted to contact Yukiko again and with fortunate luck, she was able to talk to her. After chastising Yosuke for assuming the worst, the boy talked her into going to visit Teddie later.

Later in the day, the trio went to Junes as planned. Yosuke and Megumi wanted to check in with Teddie to see if anyone was on the other side, but…

“I forgot that there’s a sale in the electronics,” Yosuke lamented as some customers were hanging around. “But I think there’s still a way to get Teddie’s attention.”

“Like…?” Megumi raised an eyebrow. She hoped this idea wasn't as dumb as the one from yesterday.

“Maybe you can stick your hand in and call him over. He’s probably wandering around the entrance anyway.” Yosuke then stood at one end of the TV and motioned Chie to the other end.

Megumi looked around and then stuck her hand in the TV once again. Without warning, something chomped on her hand and she yanked it back immediately. “Ow!” The girl checked her hand and there was a visible bite mark on it. "Jeez...!"

“Y-you alright, Megumi?!” Yosuke’s voice was laced with concern.

“Shh!“ Chie scolded the boy. "Not so loud, idiot! But whoa…! That’s a bite mark!” Her eyes widened with surprise. "There's even teeth marks too!"

“…. I’m alright…” Megumi mumbled as she tended to her hand. “Dammit, that hurt…!”

“Ooh, ooh! Is this a game, Sensei?! Is it your turn?!” The enthusiastic sound of Teddie could be heard from the TV.

“Can it, you!” Chie told him off. “More importantly, do you sense anyone there?”

“Who’s ‘anyone’? I’m a lonely little bear like always…” Teddie said. “It feels so bear-ren in here…” The bear began to giggle.

 _/Oh great,/_ Megumi thought. / _He makes bear puns./_

“Quiet!” Chie ordered again. “You really sure?”

“I’m paw-sitive!” Teddie said. “My nose is running as good as ever!”

“Uh… Alright. Thanks, Ted.” Yosuke shrugged, unsure of the lack of information. “We’ll see you later.”

The three began to walk back to the entrance of Junes. They were still in the dark about the events that possibly surrounded Yukiko. If that was not her on the Midnight Channel, than who was it?

“I’m gonna go ahead and warn Yukiko anyway,” Chie said with a frown on her face. “She might be at the inn all weekend, but I’m still worried.”

“I don’t blame you,” Megumi said as her hand stopped hurting. “You planning on checking up?”

Chie nodded. “I can walk her to school on Monday.”

“Alright, that sounds good. Oh, that reminds me, can I go ahead and get your cell number? Just in case.” Megumi asked.

“Sure!” Chie complied. The girls took out their phones and had exchanged numbers.

“Hey, Megumi, can I have your number too? I’ll call you whenever I watch the Midnight Channel.” Yosuke asked as he pulled out his phone. Megumi nodded and the two had also exchanged numbers. “Alright. Don’t forget about tonight. Let’s just cross our fingers and hope this is a misunderstanding…”

~*~

It was nearly midnight and the rain continued to fall at a steady pace. Megumi patiently waited for the Midnight Channel to broadcast. Her patience was rewarded as her TV came alive with some static noise and then, a clear picture came on immediately.

“Good evening!”

Megumi gasped out loud. It was Yukiko! But wait… There was something off about her, the first major difference being the big poofy pink dress that she wore.

“Tonight, Princess Yukiko has a big announcement! I’m going to score myself a hot stud!”

/… _.. What?/_

“This is it! This is not a dream, not a hoax! Tonight, Princess Yukiko will be on the hunt for her prince charming! And I came prepared! I got my lacy unmentionables on, stacked from top to bottom! I’m gonna dive in and catch a whole lot of them! The best one will be all mine!!”

/… _Wait, is that really Yukiko…?/_

“Well… Here I go!”

Yukiko then turned around and ran to the inside of a very large castle. The Midnight Channel then came off the air, leaving the TV screen blank once again.

“…..” Megumi blinked. / _What the hell was that just now?/_

Her phone began to ring. As Megumi checked the caller ID, it displayed Yosuke's name. He must had seen the Midnight Channel too. She decided to answer.

“M-Megumi?! D-did you see that?!”

“Yeah… That is Yukiko… Right?”

“W-well… It did look like Yukiko-san. She even said her own name! But, oh man, she said some really weird stuff! And what’s with the program itself? It looked like a low budget TV show or something-”

“Yosuke,” Megumi interrupted the boy. “You need to calm down a little.”

“R-right. Sorry,” Yosuke sighed. “Anyway! Tomorrow’s Sunday, so we’ll meet up at Junes in the morning!”

“Alright. See you then.“ Megumi closed her phone. This confirmed that Yukiko was now inside the Midnight Channel. There was a culprit and whoever did this to Megumi’s classmate might have also murdered Yamano and Saki.

~*~

**Sunday, April 17th 2011**

 

Megumi arrived at Junes' food court in the morning. She felt bad about leaving Nanako alone at home, but the young girl reassured her cousin that she would be fine. Sundays were usually laundry days anyway. Megumi made a mental note of taking care of any clothing that was tattered or bloodied if she were to face any monsters again. The last thing she needed was questions and concerned looks directed at her.

While she waited for Yosuke, she occupied her time with Chie via text messages. Chie asked her and Yosuke to meet her at a shop in the shopping district later. The girl began to wonder what kind of shop she wanted to take them until...

“Sorry that I’m late!”

Megumi looked up and saw Yosuke running up to her, his hands behind his back and a big grin on his face.

“What took you so long?” Megumi asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Hehe,” Yosuke chuckled. “Check these out! I found them right in my own backyard!” He then produced a sword and a nata and began to wave them around. “Aren’t they cool?! Too bad they’re fake.”

“Y-Yosuke…” Megumi began to get worried, as this was completely reckless and idiotic on his part. “You need to put those up. Now.”

“Aw, c’mon, Megumi!” Yosuke continued to show off, unperturbed. “I look like a badass, don’t I?!”

Megumi frowned and began to sink into her chair, wishing that he would knock off this bravado. Suddenly, a policeman saw the commotion around the corner.

“Hey! Back away from the young lady!”

Yosuke was startled. “Ah, wait! Wait! I-It’s not what it looks like, I swear!!”

“Put the weapons down! We’ll listen to your story at the police station! Ma’am, are you unharmed?!”

The chain of events lead up to Yosuke being arrested and Megumi checked out by the police. She produced an idea by first asking them about her uncle's whereabouts after revealing her familial ties with him. As they began to haul the poor boy away, they confirmed that her uncle was at the police station.

Before she did anything else, she could not help but pinch the bridge of her nose in irritation. She then dialed Chie's cell phone.

“Hey, Chie. We’re gonna be running a little late.”

“Huh? Why- what’s wrong?”

“I have to go bail out a moron.”

~*~

“I'd like to see Detective Dojima, please.”

Megumi arrived at the Inaba Police Station and walked through the hall in search of her uncle. It was not too long until she heard his stern voice lecturing someone who was just brought in for questioning...

“I hope you know that girl you were showing off to is my niece. You should know what’s going on in this town, we got men stationed everywhere!”

“I-I’m sorry…”

Megumi poked her head in and could see Dojima as well as an embarrassed Yosuke slumping in his chair. “Uncle Dojima?”

Dojima picked his head up and was surprised to see his niece. “Megumi. You know this kid?”

“Yeah,” Megumi said. “I hope you chewed him out good, so he’ll know not to pull something like this again.” She placed emphasis on the tail end of her sentence while glancing at Yosuke. She was not too happy with the boy at the moment.

“You know that this will take a lot more than just a scolding,” Dojima said as he frowned. “Do you know why he did this in the first place?”

Megumi glanced at Yosuke again. The boy couldn't even look up at her as he kept his gaze off of her and her uncle. “He’s just trying to show off. Y’know… I think he called it a guy thing? Something to do with pride?”

Dojima raised an eyebrow and looked at Yosuke for a moment. He then turned his attention back to Megumi. “…..” He began to sigh in irritation. “For god’s sake… You’re lucky that she’s here, Hanamura, or else this would’ve gone on your permanent record.”

Yosuke was surprised to hear this as he finally looked up. “D-does this mean…?”

“You’re free to go,” Dojima said as he got up from his seat. “But this better not happen again. And you better watch how you conduct yourself around my niece, you understand?”

“Y-yes, sir!”

The detective then turned his attention to Megumi, with a parental tone in his voice. “Don’t think this conversation is over, young lady. We’ll talk later.”

 _/Crap./_ “…Yes, Uncle.”

The two teenagers walked away from Dojima, who went to another end of the police station. They began to make their way back to the front, with Yosuke stretching his arms out while Megumi had hers crossed.

“Thanks so much, Megumi! You saved my hide!” Yosuke then noticed that the girl was unusually quiet. “Megumi…? You’re not mad, ar–”

“I’m pissed off,” Megumi snapped as she knitted her eyebrows downward. “That was really dumb on your part! You owe me for this one!”

“Erk, s-sorry…” Yosuke frowned. “But man, they confiscated the weapons too…”

“Hey, aren’t you the kid that’s staying at Dojima-san’s house?”

Megumi noticed that Adachi was looking at her, holding a cup of coffee. He appeared surprised to see her and Yosuke in here.

“Oh, hi, Adachi-san.”

Yosuke thought for a moment. “U-Um… Can we ask you something? Is it true that Yukiko-san- Er, Yukiko Amagi is missing?”

“Huh? Oh, um…” Adachi wore a face of contemplation. “Am I allowed to say anything…?”

“We’re her friends and we’ve been worried about her as of late,” Megumi explained as she uncrossed her arms. “If you know something, Adachi-san, may we know? Please?”

Yosuke noticed how fast Megumi changed the tone of her voice. Was she still peeved at him? He decided that girls are scary, obviously keeping that part to himself. The worst part, however, was that he didn't know who was scarier, Megumi or Chie.

“Well…” Adachi sighed. “If you’re friends with Miss Amagi, then keep this between us, okay? We got a call from her parents last night that she was nowhere to be found.”

Both teenagers reacted with shock, but this was no surprise to them. They already knew first hand that she was missing because of the strange program from last night.

“The workers at the Amagi Inn were too busy to notice her go missing… But, has she say anything to you two recently? Maybe, about going through hard times?”

“What do you mean?” Megumi asked, unsure of where the conservation was going.

“Well, the announcer Mayumi Yamano was staying at the Amagi Inn before the first murder. She had some harsh words to the manager about the staff, and the stress caused the manager to collapse. Being the manager’s daughter, I’d think Miss Amagi may have felt strongly about this incident. By the way… there are some theories floating around that she is keeping a low profile, but…”

Megumi then raised her eyebrows when she realized the direction Adachi was implying. Yukiko was the murderer? This was not right.

“Oh crap, I think I may have said too much,” The lanky man groaned. “Y-you didn’t hear that from me, okay–”

“Adachi! Why the hell are you chatting with civvies?! And where’s my coffee?!”

“O-oh, sorry, Dojima-san! I got it right here!” Adachi looked back at the teenagers pitifully. “Please forget I said anything!” He turned around and disappeared around the corner.

The teenagers looked at each other with a burning resolve. This further convinced them that the police were unable to do anything. It was now up to them, with their Personas.

~*~

“There you are!!” Chie ran up to Megumi and Yosuke outside of the police station and stopped to catch her breath. She expressed her anger toward the headphone-clad boy. “What the hell were you doing, Yosuke?! You kept me waiting and made Megumi-chan go bail you out!"

“D-dammit…” Yosuke expressed his distaste of getting chewed out even further, but he shook that out of his mind. There were more pressing matters at hand. “Never mind that for now, there’s something wrong with Yukiko-san!”

“Huh?!” Chie nearly lost her footing. “You know already?! I tried calling her cell, but she wouldn’t pick up! So I ran over to her house, and it did turn out that Yukiko disappeared!”

Megumi sighed to herself. “… So we have to go back.”

“But aside that,” Yosuke picked up the conversation. “The cops were saying some weird stuff like Yukiko-san is laying low or something… Apparently, her mom collapsed because the announcer lady bitched her out. And now they think that she has a motive because of that, especially after that Yamano lady died.”

Chie’s eyes widened in shock. “What?! They think Yukiko did it?! What the hell is wrong with them?!”

“Hey, don’t snap at me!” Yosuke shot back. “Yukiko’s the victim, dammit, not the suspect…”

Megumi noticed that her two friends were agitated. She tried to stay calm as she defused the banter. “Calm down, you two. Getting all pissed like this won’t help anyone, especially Yukiko. We’ll do all we can to save her, alright?”

“R-right!” Chie nodded in agreement. “You’re right, Megumi-chan. We just need to calm down and think for a second.”

“… Wait, ‘we’?” Megumi looked at her short-haired friend.

“Yeah, ‘we’! I’m going!”

“But Chie-”

“And that’s final! I’m going to rescue Yukiko no matter what!”

“You sure you’re gonna be alright?” Yosuke sighed. “But man… We have no weapons. What now…?”

Chie picked her head up. “Oh yeah! I wanted to show you two something!”

~*~

The shop that Chie wanted to show her friends was a metalworks shop ran by a man named Daidara. Apparently, the wares were supposed to be works of art, but they looked like real weapons. As Chie was looking through different armor, Megumi and Yosuke were looking at different blades.

“Hmmm…” Megumi narrowed her eyes. “Too long. Too short.” She even lifted some of the blades to test their weight. “… Too heavy. Don’t like the grip. No polearms.”

“You sure are picky, aren’t you?” Yosuke said as he checked out different sets of blades.

“Mmm, young lady,“ Daidara spoke up after watching Megumi carefully. "Is there something you’re looking for?”

Megumi blinked at the old man. “Uh, well, I’m kind of a tennis player. I’d like something similar but in a blade form. Nothing too heavy, either.”

Daidara smiled and pointed at a collection in a nearby shelf. “I don’t have much, but you may find what you’re looking for over there.”

Megumi wandered over to the shelf in question. She looked at the swords with decorative handles. The blades weren’t too long, the weight was just right. In fact, one particular sword was kind of like the one from a dream she had before…

“….. Yeah. This one will do.“

After the group picked out their equipment, Yosuke had a thought. “We’ll just get picked up if we carry these around town… And it’s not like we can just rush into Junes with a sack full of gear and not expect anyone to notice, either…”

“Oh! Why don’t we conceal them under our uniforms?” Chie suggested.

Megumi thought about it, but she shook her head in disagreement. “… That would be even more suspicious. But Yosuke is right, we can’t just put our stuff in a bag and-” The girl stopped herself. She just thought of something and began to process a new idea.

“Uh… Megumi?” Yosuke asked, a little wary of what was going through her mind.

“….. Maybe not a bag, but what about a box?”

Both of her friends appeared confused when she mentioned the object.

“I’m sure Junes sells some storage boxes, right? Like the really big ones with locks on them. How about we get one and throw it into the TV world? Oh, but make sure to tell Teddie to watch himself. We wouldn’t want it to drop on his head.”

“A box…?” Chie was still confused. “But why do you need a box for?”

“Oh, I get it,” Yosuke realized why Megumi made that suggestion. “It’s for storing our equipment, right? Kinda like a weapons locker or something?”

Megumi nodded as she looked over to the boy. “Of course, you’re buying it.”

“Wha-?! Wh-why me?!” Yosuke shouted as he began to give the gray-haired girl a hard look.

“You still owe me. Chances are, getting my uncle to bail you out may have cost me any future favors.” Megumi said as the sour look on her face returned.

“I never asked you to bail me out!” Yosuke retorted. “H-he probably could’ve let me off the hook anyway.”

“Yeah, and how would you explain to my uncle that you were waving swords around like an idiot to his own niece?”

“I’d like to hear something better than ‘a guy’s pride’! Seriously, what kind of excuse is that?!”

“Hey, I had to think of something fast! What else could I have said?“

Chie watched the two argue. As amusing as it was to see Yosuke getting into an argument with someone other than her, this really wasn’t a good time. “Guys!”

“What?!”

Chie glared at her two friends. “We need to get ready!”

Yosuke sighed in defeat. “Fine… I’ll buy the stupid box.”

“Thanks. You won’t regret this decision.” Megumi smirked, satisfied with her victory.

“Then we’ll meet at the Junes food court!” Chie declared and the three went their separate ways.

~*~

Megumi was seen heading back to Junes. Along the way, she recalled an event that just happened after she disbanded from her friends.

Somehow, the door to the Velvet Room materialized in the shopping district and she was able to enter it via a key she recently received. In there, Igor and Margaret explained to the gray-haired girl of her unique abilities. Furthermore, she met a new resident.

‘… _Marie? Please introduce yourself to our guest.’_

‘ _Yeah, I know she’s here. Nice to meet you.’_

‘ _Hey… I’ve seen you before. You’re that-’_

‘ _Shut up. You don’t know anything.’_

‘… _Please forgive her. This is Marie. She may be brusque, but please understand that she is only an apprentice and forgive her of her impoliteness.’_

‘ _Um… Sure. I guess.’_

Megumi sighed to herself. Just what she needed, another friend to butt heads with. Could Marie even be considered a friend? Why would she be interested in the world outside of the Velvet Room anyway?

Seeing her friends waiting for her at the food court, Megumi placed these thoughts aside from now. Right now, her classmate Yukiko was inside the TV world. She intended on keeping Teddie’s promise. She wanted to find the culprit that’s causing these tragic events.

‘ _I meant what I said about the turning point of your destiny. There is no other way, my dear. I do look forward to seeing where this journey will take you…’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I am Thou... Thou art I...  
> Thou hast acquired a new bond...  
> It shall bring thee closer to the Truth...
> 
> Thou shall be blessed with the Magician, Fool, and Aeon Arcanas..."


	9. Chapter 8: Hide Your Heart

**Sunday, April 17th 2011**

 

The squad that consisted of Megumi, Yosuke, Chie, and Teddie had arrived in front of the castle that Yukiko ran in during the broadcast. Before they made their way here, Yosuke kept his promise and got the team a weapons locker. The box itself was durable and had enough storage to carry a lot of things. Megumi decided to keep the box in the area where they arrive and depart from as this made things easier for the team to store their equipment since they did not want a repeat of ‘Yosuke trying to show off to Megumi’ again.

After bringing Chie up to speed with the situation and the knowledge of the world and the murders, the short-haired girl looked up at the castle with determined eyes. “Yukiko is in there… right?”

“I’m paw-sitive!” Teddie said confidently. “My nose is right on track!”

Chie nodded to herself. “Okay. I’m going in!” She bolted ahead and entered the castle.

“W-wait!” Yosuke tried to call her back, but it was no use. “Dammit, we told her to not run off like that…”

Megumi appeared concerned for Chie as well. “We have no choice… We’ll have to go after her. C’mon!”

The two teenagers ran inside of the castle, with Teddie in tow.

~*~

The inside of the castle was magnificent in red colors. Megumi and Yosuke looked around for any sign of Chie or Yukiko, but there was none. However, multitudes of Shadows have begun to take notice of the intrusion and had begun to come out.

“We’ll have to clear a path, Yosuke. Let’s go!” Megumi pulled out the short sword from the sheath.

“Alright! Let’s do this!” Yosuke pulled out a pair of kunai and on cue, the two teenagers charged ahead and attempted to cut through the first line of defense.

Yosuke was clearly not used to this kind of heavy activity. Megumi wasn’t too far off, given that she was in her old school’s tennis club. In fact, she forgot that she was wearing her white poncho, so it limited her movements.

She quickly called out a change of plans. “Izanagi!”

“G-good idea! Jiraiya!”

The Personas made more progress as they mowed down incoming Shadows. Both teenagers managed to clear the wave and hurried on ahead.

When they reached to a room, they found Chie. But she was not alone, as there was another Chie standing before her. This one had the eerie yellow eyes as well.

“You okay, Chie?!” Megumi spoke up.

“N-no!” Chie cried out as she began to panic. “Don’t come near me! Don’t look at me!”

“Wait, hold on!” Yosuke tried to calm her down, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

“This… This isn’t what I’m like!” Chie said as she fell down on her knees.

“So what?” The distorted voice of the other Chie began to speak up. “Are you just gonna turn your back and deny me again? After everything I said to you?”

“Shut up!” Chie shouted. “You’re…”

“Chie!”

“You’re not me!!”

The whole room was silent for a few seconds. Then suddenly, the other Chie began to cackle like a madwoman. Dark energies surrounded her and then she took on a new form. She now appeared as a black-haired womanly being dressed in yellow, with three “clones” of Chie stacked on top of each other.

“I am a Shadow! The true self!”

The real Chie gasped in disbelief. Out of nowhere, the strands of hair developed blades on them and tried to stab the short-haired girl, but Yosuke took the initiative and grabbed her out of the way. Megumi stood her ground and had Izanagi engage the Shadow.

“Don’t get in my way!” The Shadow bellowed as the hair blades began to push back Izanagi. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” She began to gain the upper hand as one of the hair blades slashed Izanagi’s side.

“Ugh!” Megumi held onto her side. She began to suspect from the last two fights, but whenever her Persona gets attacked, the pain was transferred to her. She must be careful or else…

Jiraiya attempted to attack the Shadow as well, this time using gusts of wind. It seemed to do a lot of damage, but the Shadow persisted.

“Why are you protecting her?! She’s nothing but a grubby bitch!” The Shadow attempted to jab Jiraiya with the hair blades, but Yosuke’s Persona proved to be nimble. Izanagi jumped back into the fray and assisted Jiraiya.

Chie gawked at the unfolding scene. Why were her classmates helping her? She heard her Shadow – she was jealous of Yukiko. She could not win as a person. All she cared about was keeping an iron grip on her friend. Chie began to feel like she was being consumed by despair.

“You still there, me?” The Shadow began to talk as she held her ground. “I can’t win as a person, let alone as a girl. But Yukiko! She depends on me! That’s why I’ll never lose her!!”

“Chie!” Megumi cried out. “You have to be strong!”

“Strong…?” Chie’s face became unreadable.

Yosuke attempted to defend Chie again by deflecting a few strands back. But then, a strand had sneaked behind him and grabbed him by the throat. Another set of strands had also bounded Jiraiya.

Chie noticed the current plight. “Yosuke!”

Megumi gasped as she also witnessed the plight. Izanagi could not keep this up forever as every time she tried to get near Jiraiya, the strands kept pushing her back. There had to be another way!

It then hit Megumi- while she and Yosuke were fighting off the Shadows before, there was another being within her sea of the soul. It had a different fighting style from Izanagi. She wasn’t sure when this Persona had arrived in her mind, but now was the time to reveal it!

Izanagi disappeared and Megumi crushed a new card in her hand. “Senri!”

A figure shaped like a woman appeared. She was white, with spots around her fur stole. She also wore a hat and sported cat features as she placed her hands on her hips. Senri glared at the Shadow and let out a cat's hiss.

Bursts of fire erupted out of nowhere and it burned the hair strands, freeing Yosuke and Jiraiya.

“How did she–?!” Yosuke was surprised to see Megumi’s new Persona, but it was not the time to ponder. They had a massive Shadow to defeat!

“Yosuke!” Megumi called out for her friend.

“On it!” Yosuke seemed to have read her mind. Jiraiya began to amp up the winds to fan the fires brought on by Senri. Chie’s Shadow began to scream in agony.

“You’re…! You’re nothing…!!”

Chie continued to watch the fight. As unforgivable as to what her Shadow have said, she knew deep down that her doppelganger was right. She was afraid. She had to keep control. But all of that would prove to be her undoing. How could she face Yukiko like this?

“Hey, Chie!”

Chie picked her head up and noticed Megumi was trying to tell her something.

“You’re still friends with Yukiko, right?! Does it matter what your Shadow says?!”

Chie gasped as she just realized something. Yukiko was still her friend, even with those awful thoughts that manifested. To the short-haired girl, Megumi was right.

“… That’s right… Even with all these horrible thoughts, they are all true. But there is one thing that I do freely admit – Yukiko is still my best friend!”

The Shadow was finally defeated as she burned up, with only her humanoid self remaining. She stared at Chie with almost a sad expression. The green jacket girl walked up to her without any sign of fear.

“You were the side that I couldn’t forgive… The side I tried to ignore… But, I think I get it now. You are a part of me…”

The Shadow nodded with a small smile. Suddenly, calming energies surrounded her and then transformed into something larger. This new form was shaped as a woman but clad in yellow as she watched Chie silently. She had long black hair and wielded a double naginata.

“… This is…?”

“This is your Persona,” Megumi said as she dismissed Senri.

“Persona…?”

“That’s right,” Yosuke said as Jiraiya disappeared.

“… Tomoe…” Chie began to smile a little. “This… is my Persona.” After Tomoe was dismissed, Chie stumbled.

Megumi and Yosuke ran to her and helped her up. “Easy there!” The gray-haired girl shouted.

“I… I’m alright…” Chie said as she tried to convince her friends, but the tiredness on her face betrayed her. “I’m just a little tired…”

“You don’t look so good,” Yosuke observed. “We should go back for now.”

“N-no!” Chie tried to stay up, but her knees were trying to give out. “Yukiko is still here…! She could die…!”

“Chie-chan…“ Teddie stood in front of her. "Don’t overdo it. Megumi-sensei and Yosuke will need you to be in tip-top shape.”

“B-but…”

“As long as the fog is here, the Shadows won’t attack this Yukiko person,” Teddie explained. “It’s when it lifts here that she’ll be in danger…”

“That’s right,” Yosuke affirmed. “The weather here is the opposite of our world. I don’t think Yukiko-san will be in danger until it fogs in our world.”

“Even then,” Megumi picked up the conversation. “We’ll want to rescue her as soon as possible, but we can’t do anything if you’re not at a hundred percent, Chie.”

Chie tried to continue the argument, but words had failed her. The only thing she could do was nod reluctantly. “Alright…”

~*~

When they reached the lobby, Chie complained that she was feeling even worse than before. Megumi looked at her classmate’s face and then realized something.

“Oh! You’re not wearing any glasses!”

“H-huh…? Oh yeah…” Chie looked at Megumi and Yosuke closely. “I was wondering why you two were wearing them… Did your eyesight go bad?”

“I guess you didn’t realize we had them on, huh?” Yosuke asked.

“Ta-daaaaah! I got a pair ready for Chie-chan!” Teddie then produced a pair of glasses that had yellow frames. Chie took them and once she placed them on her face, she was taken back by the sudden clarity.

“Whoa! This is awesome! It’s like the fog doesn’t exist!” Chie was dumbfounded.

“Hey…” Yosuke glared at Teddie. “Why didn’t you pull those out sooner?”

“I-I didn’t know she was coming! It was so sadden!” Teddie paused for a moment after receiving a deadpan look from the boy. “… I-I mean sudden!”

“I was wondering why you two were able to see just fine,” Chie commented. “Yeah… We’ll have to leave for now, but I’ll be back with these puppies on!”

Before the team disbanded temporarily, all three teenagers and the bear had agreed upon something- no one was to enter the TV world alone. The days of pursuing the case as the Investigation Team had begun…

~*~

It was dinnertime at the Dojima residence and Megumi, her uncle and her cousin were eating quietly while the news played. Dojima slowed down on his consumption until he paused, developing a stern look on his face.

“Megumi…? Mind if I ask something?”

“Hm?” Megumi stopped mid-chewing her rice when she noticed her uncle giving her ‘that’ look. To her, ‘that’ look would be something that would mean ‘there was something to talk about’. She used to receive this often from her parents, especially her mother, during her middle school days.

“You aren’t getting involved in strange business, are you…?” Dojima asked.

“Strange business?” Megumi blinked. “What do you mean?”

“What happened at the station earlier today… It’s still bothering me.”

 _/Oh crap, I forgot about that./_ “Oh…?”

“Is there… anything you’re not telling me? Or is it just the Hanamura kid being obnoxious?”

Megumi had to think of an answer fast. “Uh… Yeah, Yosuke became my friend recently and uh… I guess he just wanted to show off. It’s just how some city kids do it.”

Dojima gave her a concerning look before speaking up. “I see…”

Nanako spoke up. “What’s wrong…? Are you two fighting?”

Both Dojima and Megumi looked at the little girl right away.

“No, we’re not fighting…” Dojima spoke up while frowning.

Nanako didn’t believe him. “This isn’t the police station…”

Dojima sighed. Megumi figured that she would need to back him up. “We’re not fighting, Nanako. I promise.”

“Anyway,” Dojima picked the conversation back up. “I agreed to look after you. Don’t get yourself involved in anything that would get you into trouble. Understand?”

“… Yes, Uncle.“ Megumi dug back into her food. The atmosphere became heavy and discomforting. Megumi hoped that she wouldn’t have to continue to lie to him, but it appeared that this was necessary. Lying to a detective… How would she be able to get away with that?

~*~

**Tuesday, April 19th 2011**

 

A couple days had passed and the Investigation Team had made some progress into the giant castle whenever time permitted, usually after school. However, they had yet to find Yukiko. There was still some time before the fog set in, but Megumi decided the faster they rescue Yukiko, the better.

Chie had become a valuable asset to the team, with her reflexes greater than Megumi’s. With her knowledge of Jeet Kune Do, her weapons of choice were her legs. The Team had seen the damage she could do with them. Her Persona was equally impressive, with how Tomoe carried herself through battle.

The Team managed to reach a floor where there was plenty of stairs. Suddenly, the lights went out, stopping the group. Up on top of the steps stood a familiar figure in a big poofy pink dress…

“Yukiko!!” Chie cried out as she recognized this figure right away.

The raven-haired girl turned around and noticed the Team. She looked a lot like Yukiko, only her eyes were glowing yellow. Megumi concluded that the person standing before them was Yukiko’s Shadow.

“Oh my! Special guests?!” The Shadow version of Yukiko smiled. “I am highly curious as to how this will play out! Oh, but where could my prince be…? Oh! Maybe he’s playing hide-and-seek in the fog!” She began to giggle.

Chie’s eyebrows knitted down. “You’re not the real Yukiko! Who are you?!”

The Shadow only seemed amused by Chie’s accusation. “What’re you talking about? I’m Yukiko… and Yukiko is me.”

“… That’s gotta be her Shadow,” Megumi concluded as the frown on her face became apparent.

Yukiko’s Shadow only giggled some more. “Well, I’m off again! You better be waiting with bells on, my dear prince!” She then turned around and began to run.

“H-hey! Wait!!” Chie took off after her, but by the time she reached the top of the stairs, more Shadows appeared. “Get the hell outta my way!” Chie summoned Tomoe and soon after, she received help from Megumi and Yosuke.

“The Shadows are getting agitated!” Teddie cried out.

“We can see that, Ted!” Yosuke said irritably. “But man… This is just like what happened to us!”

~*~

After clearing out more hoards of Shadows, the Investigation Team had reached the final floor. Chie kicked down the door and as the Team rushed in, they had found the real Yukiko and her Shadow together.

It appeared that the Shadow Yukiko was telling her real self something until she noticed ‘the guests’. “Oooo! What’s this?! Three princes?! My, my…”

Megumi blinked. / _Huh? Three princes…?/_

“My, it’s getting crowded in here,” The Shadow purred. “Why don’t you and I go somewhere else? Somewhere far away… You’d take me, won’t you?”

Teddie’s heart had swooned. “So this is what they mean by ‘scoring a hot stud’?”

“Wait, three princes…?” Chie appeared confused as she ignored Teddie. “B-but Yosuke is the only guy with us.”

“Duuuuh, one of the other princes is me!” The bear chirped.

“I… seriously doubt that,” Yosuke said, feeling a little embarrassed. “But wait, why did she say three…?”

The Shadow giggled some more. “Of course there’s three. There’s Yosuke-kun… Megumi-chan… and Chie, of course.”

Chie became confused. “I’m a prince…?”

Megumi blinked. “Me too?”

Yukiko’s Shadow smiled. “Yes, Chie… She always leads the way. She’s a strong prince…” The Shadow then frowned. “Or at least, she was.”

“Wh-what…?” Chie’s confusion returned to her face.

“When you think about it, Chie’s just not good enough! She can’t take me away from here! She can’t save me! Yosuke-kun and even Megumi-chan has better prospects than she does!”

Both Yosuke and Megumi wore unsure looks on their faces. Was it because both of them were originally from the big city?

Yukiko finally had enough of listening to her Shadow. “Stop…”

The Shadow began to talk down to her real counterpart. “Historical Inn? Manager training? I’m so sick of all these things chaining me down! To hell with it all! I never asked for any of this!”

“That’s not true…”

“I just want to go somewhere far away… Anywhere but here! I don’t care who takes me! As long as it isn’t here, I don’t give a damn!”

Yukiko continued to beg in vain. “Stop… Please, stop…”

“I have no hope if I stay and I have no courage to leave. So I sit on my ass hoping someday my Prince would come! I just want to be taken away from here! And all that about ‘historical tradition’ and ‘pride of the town’? It’s all bullshit!!”

Yukiko’s head snapped up. “How… How dare you say that…!”

“But this is how I really feel. Isn’t that right, me?!”

“Yukiko!” Chie ran forward to her friend, but suddenly fire began to ignite out of nowhere.

“No…! You’re not…! You’re not…!!”

“Don’t say it!” Megumi thundered.

“Yukiko-san, don’t!!” Yosuke also cried out.

“You’re a liar! You’re not me!!”

/… _.. Oh hell./_

Yukiko’s Shadow began to chuckle until it turned into a full-blown cackle. “Oh…! This feels wonderful! It’s building, more and more…! If this keeps up, I’ll… I’ll…!”

The Shadow’s magnetism drew in the other Shadows to her and it encased her into a giant mass. It then began to float upward, and suddenly, a cage came crashing down. Inside of it perched the Shadow, in form of a large red bird with black hair.

“I am a Shadow… The true self.”

Yukiko began to back away from the bird-like creature, fear overtaking her. Then, a bird cage that was nearby enlarged itself and encased her.

“Yukiko!!” Chie cried out for her friend. “I’m right here for you!”

“Oh really…?” The Shadow glared at the short-haired girl. “In that case, I’ll give you everything I got!!” Yukiko’s Shadow unleashed several feathers in the air, which caused bursts of fire to appear. The Investigation Team’s Personas struggled to fight back, as the fires were causing the oxygen of the area to compress.

“Dammit!” Yosuke cursed. “It’s too hard to see!”

“It’s getting harder to breathe in here!” Megumi shouted.

“Yukiko! I’m coming!” Chie attempted to run towards the cage, but more fire blocked her path. Tomoe attempted to clear the path with ice skills, but the Shadow kept up the pressure.

Megumi noticed Tomoe’s actions and then an idea came to mind. She had gained yet another Persona earlier! The gray-haired girl once again called back Izanagi and had pulled out yet another card. “Jack Frost!”

In place of the black Persona came forth a white creature who appeared innocent with its perpetual grin. Jack Frost began its assault with ice magic and with the help of Jiraiya’s shuriken blades, the fires were managed. However, the Shadow’s anger was only building more as the ice was melting at a fast pace. Megumi’s Persona struggled to keep up.

“Chie!” Yukiko cried out to her friend. “Please! You need to escape!!”

“No! I’m not running away!” Chie stood her ground. “I need you to listen to me, it’s very important!”

“Chie…” Yukiko began to look down.

More fires erupted around Chie, but the short-haired girl did not back down. Tomoe attempted to keep up with her assault as Chie continued to walk towards Yukiko. “You need to know this! I… I was actually jealous of you! You had everything that I didn’t!”

The Shadow overheard Chie’s words and began to scream. “That’s right! You were there for me because I am worthless!!”

“That’s not true!” Chie retorted, causing Yukiko to pick her head back up. “Yukiko… You are one of the strongest people I know! If you really wanted to escape, you can do it!”

“Chie… I…” Yukiko appeared to be on the edge of tears. “You’re wrong… I can’t do anything. I’m too weak… I’m a useless coward!”

“No!“ Chie began to cough. Tomoe couldn’t keep up much longer. The more effort her Persona put out, the more it drained Chie. "You’re not… Look, there are some things I’m not proud of either… But that doesn’t matter! Yukiko… I’ll always be there for you! You’re my best friend!!”

“Ch… Chie…”

“Stop it!!!”

Yukiko’s Shadow was agitated as she tried to burn down everything around her. The real Yukiko then realized something as logic and courage began to bubble up within her.

“… What was I so afraid of…? I didn’t have to wait for someone… There is nothing to fear anymore…” The raven-haired girl grabbed hold of the bars and through a glimmer of her own will, they broke and she fell out. Her friend broke her fall by catching her in a hug. “Thank you… Chie…”

Yukiko’s doppelganger began to weaken when the resolve of Yukiko’s heart increased. She began to scream in agony as she tried to ramp up the fires, but it was no use.

“Sensei! The Shadow’s weakening!” Teddie announced. “Now’s your chance!!”

“Let’s finish this, Partner!” Yosuke shouted.

“Yeah!” Megumi nodded. “Jack Frost!!”

Jack Frost floated before the monstrous Shadow and began to overpower the fiery assault with its ice magic. Yukiko's Shadow attempted to back away from it, but it only continued to chase her.

“No! No! Get away from me!” The Shadow screamed. Unbeknownst to her, Jiraiya ambushed her from behind, digging his shurikens into her back. As he backed off, Tomoe quickly approached the weakened Shadow and pummeled her to submission. With a kick upwards, Yukiko’s Shadow began to self-destruct until it reached near the ceiling and imploded into several feathers.

The fires died down and the Team collectively caught their breath. Chie began to speak up. “Yukiko… I’m so sorry… I was so caught up in my jealousy that I didn’t know what you were going through…”

Yukiko turned to her friend. “… I should apologize as well… I didn’t even know what you were going through either… I just…” She then looked at her Shadow self who silently appeared. “It is true that I wanted to run away… I wanted someone to rescue me… But…” Yukiko began to embrace her Shadow self. “I’m so sorry that I ignored you… But, I understand now. I understand that you’re a part of me…”

The Shadow nodded and then the familiar blue aura began to enshroud her. She took on a new form, as a Persona. Her form was a womanly figure in pink with a cherry blossom motif stretched from her wrists. Yukiko stood in awe of this beautiful figure until the Persona disappeared. “… Konohana Sakuya…?”

“This must be Yukiko-san’s Persona,” Yosuke said as Megumi nodded.

Yukiko embraced this newfound power and smiled, but then stumbled.

“Yukiko!” Chie steadied her friend. “You alright?!”

“… I’ll be fine…” Yukiko tried to reassure her friend, but her face proved otherwise. “… You all came to rescue me?” She shifted the subject at hand and looked to everyone else.

“That’s right,” Megumi said. “We’ll get you out of here too.”

“Thank you…” Yukiko smiled.

“So! Who threw you in?” Teddie honed in with the questions.

“H-huh?” Yukiko seemed to be taken back by Teddie’s appearance. “Who are you…? Or rather, what are you?”

“I’m Teddie!” The bear introduced himself. “Now who threw you in?”

Yukiko frowned. “…. I’m so sorry… I’m not sure who did it…”

“Aww… No new clues…” Teddie frowned.

“Anyway!” Chie said as she helped Yukiko up. “Let’s hurry back! Yukiko shouldn’t be here any longer then she needs to!”

The Team agreed as they began to head back to the lobby. Megumi breathed a sigh of relief as they walked away as the victors of this battle. They had managed to rescue someone from certain death inside the TV world. However, would the culprit strike again? Only time would tell…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I am Thou... Thou art I...  
> Thou hast acquired a new bond...  
> It shall bring thee closer to the Truth...
> 
> Thou shall be blessed with the Chariot, Hierophant, and Justice Arcanas..."


	10. Chapter 9: Dashing in April

**Tuesday, April 19th 2011**

 

Yukiko had been rescued safely and it would take some time for her to recover her strength. Since she acquired a Persona, Megumi wondered if she would join the Investigation Team. Time would only tell…

Before leaving the TV world, Megumi and her friends talked about the cases thus far. They have deduced that if Yukiko were to stay in the Midnight Channel any longer, then her Shadow would’ve killed her. They also deduced that the Yukiko that was on the broadcast a few nights before was her Shadow. The broadcast itself and the world she created were suppressed thoughts brought on by Yukiko herself, by mere appearance. Of course, there was still many things they did not understand…

When evening rolled in, Dojima brought in Adachi with him. Nanako was visibly uneasy around him, thus she spent most of her evening staying close to her dad. Adachi told Megumi that Yukiko was found safe and sound. Dinner also proved to be lively since Adachi didn’t know when to shut up.

~*~

**Wednesday, April 20th 2011**

 

During the time when Yukiko was recovering from her ordeal, Megumi was able to explore more of Inaba. Half the time, either Yosuke or Chie accompanied her. She also began to talk to more people, with the first opportunity showed itself via a sports club. While there were more sports for boys, a couple of girl’s clubs were available. One of them happened to be tennis, which was a no-brainer for Megumi to join.

After meeting with the club adviser, Mrs. Terajima, she had gathered the tennis club’s girls.

“If you give me your attention for a second!” The teacher announced, silencing the girls’ chatter. “This is Megumi Ueno from Class 2-2. She may be from the big city, but she has played tennis before! You better be nice to her, okay?”

The girls mumbled a ‘yes ma'am’ more out of duty than willingness.

“Okay, let’s see…” Mrs. Terajima scanned the girls and found a particular one. “Ah! Hashimoto!”

“Yes, ma'am?“ A tall girl with her brown hair braided back looked up with her brown eyes.

“I’ll let you do your thing. Now, Ueno, you can watch the girls practice.” Mrs. Terajima walked off the field to do some adviser work.

“Ah, don’t let Terajima frighten you,” The girl said to Megumi with a carefree tone in her voice. “She can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but she means well. Sometimes.”

“I’ll keep that in mind…” To Megumi, there were some weird teachers at this school.

“But yeah, I’m Suzume Hashimoto, the captain of this club. Nice to meet ya!” Suzume grinned.

“Likewise,” Megumi nodded, taken slightly back by the tennis captain's upbeat personality.

“So tell me, Megumi-chan!” Suzume began as she grabbed a tennis racket and a ball. “How good are you at tennis?”

“Well,” Megumi began as she also grabbed a racket. “My old captain said that I was really good. But honestly, it’s been a while since I last played…”

“Aww, how come?” Suzume asked as she practiced some swings against a wall. From what Megumi could tell, she was very skilled.

“Well… I kept moving around with my parents, so I was never really tied down. I never even played a real game before.” Megumi explained as she watched Suzume carefully.

The braided girl stopped in her tracks and looked at Megumi. “Whoa, seriously?! Well, I’m glad that you decided to join us, Megumi-chan. I can teach you all I know and help improve your skills!”

Megumi’s eyes lit up. Maybe this kind of training would not only affect her hobby but also build up endurance whenever she went into the Midnight Channel. Since Yosuke, Chie, and Teddie announced her as the leader of the Investigation Team, she felt the need to set an example. Getting tired out easily was not a good impression. "Would you?”

“You bet’cha!” Suzume flashed a bright smile. “You don’t have to come to practice every time, but don’t slack off too much! I’d rather not have your skills rust on us.”

“Thanks, Hashimoto.” Megumi ended up shaking the tennis captain’s hand.

“Oh, please! Just Suzume is fine.”

~*~

**Thursday, April 21st 2011**

 

It was late afternoon, and school ended for today. Megumi noted that she had to help clean the classroom. Unfortunately for her, her group was mostly absent. Yosuke would have stuck around, but he had to go to his part-time job over at Junes. Megumi sighed to herself as she got the cleaning supplies ready until a hand stuck out in front of her.

“Ueno-san. Your group flaked out?”

Megumi looked at the person talking to her. Ah, it was her classmate, Junichi Sasaki. He had his black hair in a bowl cut and the only thing different on his uniform was a wallet’s chain peeking out from the bottom of his jacket. The chain also had a tiny cartoon shark strap attached to it. His dark brown eyes give off a moody personality.

“… I can get this, Sasaki.” Megumi mumbled, but he didn’t budge.

“You do know that I’m class rep, right? I won’t take no for an answer.”

Megumi looked at the guy with a weird expression. “… Alright.”

“Thanks,” Junichi simply said as he began to help Megumi. The atmosphere felt awkward as the classroom was silent. He began to speak up, “So… How’s Inaba treating you?”

“Hm?“ Megumi looked up from cleaning the floor. "Uh… It’s going well. Why…?”

“Huh,” Junichi snorted. “I’d thought you’d already be bored to tears by now. But whatever. City kids shouldn’t expect much out of a rural town like this.”

Megumi blinked. “And you…?”

The class rep gave a blank stare to the gray-haired girl. “I happen to be from here, Ueno-san. Is that a problem?”

“No…” / _What’s his damage?/_

“…..” Junichi finished his share of duties before Megumi did. “You’re kinda slow.”

Megumi gave him a glance. “Well, sorry that my speed isn’t up to par.”

Junichi gave her a blank look but then began to chuckle. “Up until now, only Satonaka has ever talked back to me. You’re an interesting girl, I’d like to get to know you sometime.”

“Uh…” Megumi blinked. One can never tell where the first impression would go, but she suspected that there was more to Junichi then his rough exterior. The only thing that didn't look rough on him was that shark strap. Why a shark anyway? “Sure…?”

“Maybe next time when you’re stuck with clean-up duty, then.”

~*~

**Friday, April 22nd 2011**

 

Megumi wouldn’t consider herself an ‘average’ student. What would average mean to most people? In her opinion, it would be to study, participate in club activities, work an occasional part-time job, hang out with friends… She never remembered her schedule to be this packed before. Back in the old days at her school, the only things she really dived into was studying and tennis. Both helped took her mind off certain things that were going on at the time.

But now, as a transfer student attending Yasogami… This was something different to her.

Since she began to hang out with Chie, the short-haired girl insisted on training. Of course, she had to bring her new friend along for it. They had reached the Samegawa floodplain one day after school was done.

“Time to train, Megumi-chaaan!” Chie announced with excitement in her tone.

“How are you so energetic?” Megumi had to ask, which Chie grinned back in response.

“Because!” Chie began. “I have to hone my martial arts skills! I tried to do it at home, but I accidentally put a hole into the shoji…”

“Ah,” Megumi nodded. “Yeah, that probably made your parents mad, huh.”

Chie nodded, but then her spirit picked back up. “This is why this area is good for training! Lots of open space! By the way, I heard that you joined the tennis club.” She began to chuckle. “Somehow, I’m not surprised.”

“Was it that obvious?” Megumi raised an eyebrow. She has mentioned something tennis-related a few times around her friends lately.

“Oh yeah,” Chie nodded. “But it’s good to find something you like. Plus, Suzume-chan’s really cool, as long as Terajima isn’t up everyone’s butt. But don’t worry – she’s got nothing on King Moron!”

“I can tell,” Megumi said. “Are you in a club, Chie?”

“Huh? Ah… Actually no,” Chie shook her head. “Now’s not really a good time for that anyway. I have to get stronger and since only you, Yosuke and even Yukiko know…”

“Oh…” Megumi recalled the events where Chie’s Shadow went berserk.

“I feel pathetic that I know that there’s another ‘me’,” Chie said. “Makes me wanna work harder!”

Megumi nodded to that sentiment. “I understand. We always want to be better tomorrow.”

“Yep!” Chie smiled. “And between you and me, Megumi-chan, we’ll be unstoppable!”

By the time Megumi got home, her legs were tired. She had never done a leapfrog over someone before until she trained with Chie.

~*~

**Monday, April 25th 2011**

 

Megumi didn’t have many friends, and when she did, they were usually girls. This wasn't to say that she never had guy friends before, but they were usually outnumbered. Now that she thought about it, she was ‘the quiet one’. She would patiently listen to her friends’ problems and complaints and offer little advice in return. She was the same way when she was near her crush of the moment. She would just be there. Nothing more, nothing less.

In Inaba, however, it was a little different. Especially so with Yosuke, whom might have become her first real guy friend.

After exploring all there was about Inaba, Yosuke offered to go to Okina City with Megumi. Curious about this little city, she took up on his offer one day after school.

“This is like a mini version of my hometown,” Megumi observed as she looked around. The atmosphere made her feel like a little kid at a candy store.

“Right?” Yosuke said as he stretched his arms out. “I’m just a poor city boy drawn to that urban scent.” The headphone-clad boy then realized something. “Hey, wait a minute… Am I starting to sound like Teddie?”

Megumi began to giggle. “You’re starting to look hairier too.”

“Wha-?!” Yosuke took a step back. “Now that you mentioned it, the foam in my facial soap this morning had…! H-hey, Megumi! You shouldn’t point that out!”

However, Yosuke began to start laughing when Megumi’s giggles intensified. After they’ve calmed down, Yosuke began the tour of Okina City. There was a movie theater, a bookstore, a number of boutiques and a cafe, which caught Megumi’s eye.

Yosuke blinked at Megumi’s request. “… Are you sure guys can go in there?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Megumi wore a slight deadpan look on her face. “I’ve heard good things about Chagall, so I’m curious.”

“Ah…” Yosuke couldn’t say no at this point. “Alright, and then we’ll head home.”

When they stepped inside of the cafe, Megumi's assumptions came true. When they received their orders, both teenagers sipped their hot drinks and delved into different topics.

“I heard that Sasaki helped you out the other day,” Yosuke said. “I guess it’s rare for the ‘land shark’ to do something beneath him like helping.”

Megumi blinked owlishly. “Land shark…?”

“Oh yeah, that’s his nickname. I’ve heard his family’s full of loan sharks. Wonder how he got elected class rep…” Yosuke’s face winced. “I know he’s one of King Moron’s favorites, too.”

“Wow,“ Megumi said as she sipped her drink. "Sounds like goody-two-shoes.”

“Hm…” Yosuke pondered for a moment. “I don’t think so. But at the same time, I’ve never seen him get into trouble–” Suddenly his phone beeped. Yosuke paused and checked it, but then closed it in annoyance. “Ugh, more spam. Someone got my address.” He sighed irritably.

“You don’t block them?” Megumi asked.

“Even when I do, they change domains, so there’s no point,” The headphone-clad boy explained. “I haven’t even changed my address since before moving to Inaba. This is just in case someone texts me, or something. I also don’t wanna annoy them by calling, you know?”

Megumi tilted her head to the side. “Would that mean…?”

Yosuke inferred on what she was about to say. “Th-that doesn’t mean that I don’t have friends! … To be honest, I don’t really remember what we use to talk about back then. I can’t really call them friends.”

The gray-haired girl nodded. This was familiar to her, as any friends she made back at her old school were just memories to her. She would just be there to listen and that’s it. She was also reminded of the words of Yosuke’s Shadow.

/… _What a lonely way to live./_

“But it’s alright,” Yosuke resumed and Megumi picked her head back up. “Even although I’m infamous there, Inaba suits me fine. And… I got something to do there.”

 _/Ah, of course. The murders./_ Megumi nodded. “You’re right.”

“Well,” Yosuke smiled and winked at her. Megumi noticed this habit whenever he’s hopeful or optimistic. “I’m counting on you, Partner!”

Megumi smiled and nodded again. “Let’s do our best, Partner.”

~*~

**Friday, April 29th 2011**

 

The end of April had finally come. The Dojima household was peaceful, with Dojima, Megumi, and Nanako watching the weather report. Fog was reported to come in late at night. To Megumi, this would mean that the fog over in the TV world was slated to lift.

“More fog, huh?” Dojima grumbled. “There’s been a lot of that lately. Hope it doesn’t mean more trouble…”

Nanako eyed the remote without saying anything and then pressed a button.

“Ah-ah-ah. Nanako, what did I say about changing the channel without asking?” Dojima scolded the little girl, who remained silent.

“Have a great day even during Golden Week at your local Junes!” A commercial came on and followed it’s original jingle. Of course, Nanako followed suit.

“Dad! They’re gonna be open during Golden Week!” The little girl exclaimed.

Dojima chuckled lightly. “I heard. Do you want to go somewhere during the long holiday?”

Nanako’s eyes brightened up. “W-we can go somewhere?!”

The detective then looked at his niece. “How about it, Megumi? Got any plans?”

Megumi immediately shook her head. “No, not really.”

“Then let’s all go somewhere together!” Nanako announced while giggling and mentioning Junes.

Dojima sighed inwardly. “You sure you wanna go to Junes? We could go anytime…”

Megumi smiled a little. Seeing her little cousin in a good mood had begun to lift her spirits.

~*~

Midnight struck.

Megumi checked the window in her room and sure enough, it was foggy. She then turned her head to the TV and it buzzed on, featuring no one on the screen. Megumi safely assumed that the killer was thwarted since Yukiko was back on their side.

Suddenly, she felt her phone vibrate with an incoming text message. When she looked at the sender, it was from Chie.

‘ _u saw it? :) we saved her! & she’s comin bak 2 skul 2moro. woohoo!!!1’_

 _/Oh god, text speak./_ Megumi’s face twisted with disgruntlement at first. She then carefully re-read the message and came to realization that Yukiko would be returning to school the next day.

This piece of news brought a smile upon Megumi's face. While she and the others couldn't do anything for Yamano or Saki, this time they did something right for Yukiko. She couldn't wait for the morning to come as she turned off the light and went to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I am Thou... Thou art I...  
> Thou hast acquired a new bond...  
> It shall bring thee closer to the Truth...
> 
> Thou shall be blessed with the Jester, Strength, and the Moon Arcanas..."


	11. Chapter 10: Everything is Golden

**Saturday, April 30th 2011**

 

The next morning arrived and Megumi noticed Yukiko up at the top of the hill at school. She appeared to had fully recover from the events inside the TV world a few weeks ago. The two girls managed to chat a little, mostly with the raven-haired girl thanking Megumi for saving her.

Later in the day, classes finished as Megumi, Yosuke and Chie gathered at the school rooftop. Yukiko appeared shortly after with a couple bowls of instant noodles.

“Ohhh, that smells so good!” Chie exclaimed as she received her bowl. “How much longer do I have to wait?!”

“It still needs a few minutes,” Yukiko affirmed as she took her seat next to the short-haired girl.

“So, why’re we here again…?” Chie asked but then answered her own question. “Oh yeah! We were gonna ask Yukiko what happened!”

Megumi sat next to Yosuke on the opposite edge to where the girls sat. “Sorry that we keep bringing this up, Yukiko, but were you able to remember anything when you got kidnapped?”

“…No,” Yukiko weakly admitted. “I thought that maybe if I let it sit for a little while, it’d come back to me. But all I can remember is… The doorbell rang… And someone called me… But when I woke up after that, I found myself in the castle. I’m sorry…”

“No need to apologize,” Chie said. “But would that mean that her visitor is the culprit?!”

“The culprit kidnapping someone in the middle of the day? And then ringing the doorbell?” Megumi placed her index finger on the side of her cheek.

“That’d be pretty daring for the killer,” Yosuke interjected. “If that was the case, the police would be looking for witnesses. But I don’t think we should expect much from them. Hell, the killer might as well wear bright yellow clothes at the scene of the crime.“

“I wonder why they’re doing this in the first place…” Chie asked.

“Well, we won’t know until we confront the culprit,” Yosuke said. “There is one thing that we do know- it’s no coincidence that people keep ending up in that place.” His expression turned serious. “Someone is definitely kidnapping people and throwing them into the TV.” Both Megumi and Chie nodded to the sentiment.

“Oh yeah,” Megumi said as she noticed Yukiko’s inquisitive expression. “Yosuke and I have decided to go catch the killer.”

Yosuke grinned a little. “The police are out of their league in this case, but we got Personas.”

“I see,” Yukiko said.

Chie then raised her fist up. “I’m in this too! I still can’t believe that someone’s throwing people into TVs. I’m gonna sock the crap out of whoever’s doing this!”

Yukiko thought to herself for a moment while the other three were conversing with each other. She then appeared to have come to a decision. “Let me help too.”

Her friends turned to look at her with surprised looks.

“I want to know why this is happening. Especially after what happened to me… I don’t want to run away anymore.”

“Alright!” Yosuke stood up with a bigger grin on his face. “Then let’s all work together and catch this asshole!”

“Agreed,” Yukiko nodded while Chie’s head bobbed up and down in agreement.

“Mmhmm.” Megumi nodded once.

With Yukiko joining, the Team grew a little. The teenagers have also figured that the only way to keep tabs on any kidnappings was to watch the Midnight Channel on rainy nights. The first appearance was like a ransom note until the victim itself appeared in some sort of broadcast with a clear picture. In a way, this may be an attempt to outsmart the culprit.

“By the way,” Yosuke went off topic as he looked at Chie’s and Yukiko’s bowls. “Aren’t those done by now?”

Chie gasped and then began to smile. “Oh, that’s right! Chow time!!”

Both the short-haired girl and Yukiko began to dig into their food. The scent of soba and udon wafted to Megumi’s direction, but the gray-haired girl steeled herself. Digging into less nutritious foods was not a good idea, much less Suzume finds out. If she was going to have something as such, she’d rather eat it at home.

Yosuke, however, was not shy about asking. “Hey, can I try some of that? Just one tiny bite! Please?”

“Hands off the soba, pal!” Chie glared at the headphone-clad boy. “Go get your own if you want some!”

Yukiko looked up. Somewhere in her soul, she decided to do an act of kindness. “Here, Yosuke-kun. You can try some udon.”

Megumi could’ve sworn that she saw the sparkles in Yosuke’s eyes.

“R-really?! Thanks, Yukiko-san! You’re so nice!”

“Hey, Yukiko!” Chie grumbled, but then backed off before her old habits kicked in. “… Just one bite, Yosuke!”

Yosuke graciously accepted Yukiko’s bowl and began to eat, complimenting on how delicious it was. Chie then looked over at Megumi.

“Megumi-chan, you want some of mine? I really don’t mind sharing with you!”

“Ah, I’ll pass,” Megumi said. “I’ll eat when I get home.”

Chie then noticed the boy eating at a quick pace. “H-h-hey! What the hell are you doing?!”

Yosuke stopped himself and gave the meal back to Yukiko. However, the raven-haired girl gawked at her now empty bowl.

“M-my fried tofu…”

“Wha- Yosuke!” Megumi frowned.

“You ate all of her food! What the hell?!” Chie started to yell at the boy.

“My tofu…” Yukiko lamented.

“O-oh crap! I’m so sorry, Yukiko-san! L-look, I’ll buy you something really good!” Yosuke attempted to talk his way out of this current predicament.

Chie’s eyes lit up with a sudden idea. “Oooo! Like steak?!”

“Y-yeah, sure! Whatever you want!”

Megumi watched this unfold with slight amusement. This wasn’t going to end well for him.

~*~

Before the Team entered the TV world, they made a stop by to Junes’ rooftop court. Yosuke ended up buying both Yukiko and even Chie some steaks. While they were eating, the group discussed more of the case. The connection that Saki and Yukiko had with Yamano was the fact that they were all female, which brought on the ire of Chie. Furthermore, in regarding Saki’s case, they talked about the possibility of why she was targeted. At first, it was thought to shut her up for some reason, but Yukiko disagreed. Why would a killer leave evidence laying around for a high school girl to find?

All of the teenagers were deep into the conversation until Chie noticed a familiar figure.

“Hey… Isn’t that…?”

Megumi recognized the lanky detective right away. “Ah, it’s Adachi-san.”

Adachi picked his head up and walked over to Megumi and her friends. “Oh, hello, Megumi-san! W-wait, I’m not… Uh, then again… This is great timing. Dojima-san will be leaving work on schedule. Can you pass on that message to Nanako-chan, please?”

“Uh… Sure.” Megumi nodded.

Adachi decided to take this moment to introduce himself to her friends. “Yo, I’m Adachi, Dojima-san’s gofer– Er, I mean partner.”

“Are you always this busy?” Yosuke said in a teasing manner.

“W-well…” Adachi began to stammer. “The public seems to be getting a charge out of these cases, but we can’t just leave it like that.”

Adachi stuck around for a few minutes after Chie asked him about Saki’s involvement in the case. He said that if the killer needed her dead, then it would’ve meant that she found something at the crime scene that only she understood. He hinted that the culprit may be someone close to her. He then began to ramble until he realized that the teenagers were listening to him.

“Uh, um… Relax, kids! The police are on the job! W-well, see ya!” Adachi then turned around to beat a hasty retreat.

Chie sighed. “You were right, Yosuke. The police are totally useless.”

Later on, in the TV world, Yukiko was reintroduced to Teddie. She even received her own pair of glasses for getting through the fog. However, after getting pushed back by Yosuke, Teddie accidentally dropped a pair of gag glasses. To the group’s surprise, Yukiko took a liking to them and even had Chie put them on after her.

Megumi has honestly never seen someone laugh as much as Yukiko did.

~*~

“The fourth and the fifth…”

Megumi and Nanako turned their heads at Dojima. It was a quiet evening for the family, as usual.

“I think I might be able to get the fourth and the fifth off.”

Nanako began to look at her dad with excitement. “R-really?!” Knowing better, however, she doubted him. “… Really?”

Dojima lowered his paper. “What, you don’t believe me?”

“It’s always canceled…” Nanako grumbled.

“N-not every year!” Dojima tried to reassure her. “I know that you wanted to go to Junes, but… I wouldn’t mind going a little further out of the neighborhood.”

“W-we can go on a trip, Dad?!” Nanako’s voice picked up again. Megumi honestly wished that Dojima would make up his mind.

“How about it, Megumi? You want to come along too?” Dojima looked at his niece. Megumi also noticed that Nanako’s looking at her. How could she reject that face?

“Sure, I’ll go,” Megumi smiled.

“Yaaaay!” Nanako happily accepted that answer.

“We’ll just need to figure out where to go,” Dojima said. “And I’m sure that it’ll be crowded too…”

“Let’s bring boxed lunches!” Nanako suggested.

“That’s a good idea,” Dojima nodded. “But I can’t cook and Nanako’s not good enough to make them herself yet…” He then began to eye Megumi again. “Your mother told me that you’re pretty handy around the kitchen. We’ll leave the lunches to you, Megumi.”

“Ah…“ Megumi looked back at her cousin again. She did recall the one time she actually made dinner for her and Nanako and it was a success. She should do this more often. "… Sure thing.”

~*~

**Monday, May 2nd 2011**

 

One day after classes were done, Megumi was asked by Morooka to join a culture club. Or rather, it felt more like a demand. She figured that since she was already pushing her luck with the troll, she complied.

The first club she found was the music club, where Megumi entered and watched the band practice. The music they played seemed lively, but now that she thought about it, she had no musical aptitude whatsoever. If anything, she was more of a music listener.

As Megumi turned around, she accidentally bumped into a very short girl and the papers she was holding went flying all around them.

“Gah!”

“Ah!” Megumi realized her mistake. “Oh crap, you alright?”

“I-I’m so sorry…!” The girl apologized and got herself back up.

“Hey, Matsunaga! What’re you doing?” One of the other band members spoke up, noticing the scene.

“O-oh! I’m so sorry…!” The short girl tried to quickly pick up some papers but didn’t expect the gray-haired girl to help. “You don’t have to…”

“No, I should be the one to apologize,” Megumi said as she finished helping.

“I-It’s fine…” The girl quickly ran back into the music room. Megumi turned back around and watched the band more, however, the short girl that she accidentally bumped into earlier was seen helping the various members with different things.

“Uh… Ayane-san? I can’t seem to find my sheet music…” One male student with a trumpet spoke up. The short girl named Ayane started to fluster and went to one end of the room to search for something. Megumi ended up walking inside of the club further and found a misplaced book.

“… Is this it?” Megumi picked up the book, which prompted the boy with the trumpet and Ayane to look up.

“Oh yeah, that’s it,” The boy said as he smiled. He seemed to be a very tall student who gave off a quiet nature. He had dyed blonde hair with bangs that were too long for him. His inner shirt did not have the school standard button-up, but instead, he wore a cozy turtleneck. His hazel eyes turned to Megumi.

“Oh…” The boy quickly turned away, which caused Megumi to quirk an eyebrow up. “Uh… Are you here to join the music club…?”

Megumi blinked for a moment. Was she here to do that? “I actually have no musical skills…”

“Oh…” The boy said as he turned his head back to Megumi. “Well, you can always learn here… I’m pretty sure our captain wouldn’t mind… Right, Ayane-san?”

“Hm?” Ayane appeared confused after organizing some files, but she then nodded. “Oh! Yes… If that’s alright with her…”

“Hmmmm…” Megumi gave it a thought. / _What the hell, no harm in learning something new./_ “Sure thing. I’m Megumi Ueno, a second-year.”

“A-ah, Megumi-senpai,” Ayane said with a smile. “My name is Ayane Matsunaga… I’m a first year… It’s very nice to meet you…!”

The boy blinked for a moment. “… Oh… That would make you my kouhai, wouldn’t it… I’m Yori Ikari, third year… Good to meet’cha. Let’s do our best…”

Megumi nodded. She has made two new friends and joined the music club.

~*~

It was evening at the Dojima residence later in the day and Nanako complained that her father was running late. Again.

Megumi frowned. “I notice he tends to do that a lot.”

“Yeah…” Nanako sighed. “But it’s his job…” Then the phone rang, which prompted the little girl to get up and go answer it. “Hello? Oh, hi Dad. … Yeah, I’m okay… Yeah….. Yeah…” Then her voice began to droop. “….. Okay… Alright…” She then turned around and gave the cordless phone to Megumi. “He said to give you the phone… He… can’t take those days off…” Nanako appeared to be on the verge of tears as she walked to her room.

Megumi frowned and placed the receiver by her ear. “Hello?”

“Hello, Megumi?” Dojima spoke up through the phone. “Sorry, but I’m gonna be late tonight. Make sure you lock up before you go to sleep.”

“Oh… okay.”

“And about trying to get the fourth and the fifth off… Well, one of the younger guys got sick… And he’s handling a case that we can’t ignore… So I’m taking over for him.”

“I see… Poor Nanako, she was looking forward to it…”

“I know, I know… I’m very sorry to spring this on you. And… Could you comfort Nanako for me…? I would appreciate it, Megumi.”

 _/Like I would say no anyway./_ “Yeah, leave it to me.”

“Thanks. Well, see you.” Dojima hung up the phone.

Megumi sighed loudly. This greatly reminded her of the times her own parents had broken their promises to her about spending more time together. A part of her had resented Dojima a little, but deep down, she knew better. She knew a hell of a lot better.

~*~

**Tuesday, May 3rd 2011**

 

And thus Golden Week had begun, and today was Constitution Day. That meant no school and was considered a day off for Megumi. She was dressed up in a long-sleeved black shirt and an off-white sweater with jeans, her hair in those circular tails as always. She headed downstairs and greeted Nanako.

A stray thought then came to Megumi’s mind. They had a long weekend, but with the trip canceled, what was there to do? She noticed Nanako watching TV, as usual.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” Megumi said as she opened the front door. “Oh, morning, Chie.”

Chie smiled. “Morning, Megumi-chan! Good thing I caught you here! You wanna go somewhere?”

“Ah…” Megumi would be hard-pressed to say no, but she looked over her shoulder. “Well… I don’t wanna leave my cousin alone today…”

“Oh?” Chie looked at Nanako, which prompted the little girl to become shy and hide behind Megumi. “Oh, she’s so cute! She can come with us!”

Nanako appeared bewildered by this sudden moment. “H-huh…? I can… come with you…?”

Megumi immediately liked Chie’s idea. “Yeah, you should come with us, Nanako.”

“I… I can come with you…?” Nanako repeated her question.

Chie nodded in affirmation. “Of course you can! Yukiko’ll be there too! I also think Yosuke will be getting off work soon as well.”

“Then that settles it,” Megumi said with a smile. She was absolutely sure where they were going.

~*~

Nanako’s face lit up upon learning that they were going to Junes. At the rooftop food court, she couldn’t stop smiling. In return, it made Megumi happy.

Yosuke was the last to show up, as he sat down. “Megumi, why’d you bring poor Nanako-chan to a place like this for Golden Week?”

Before Megumi could say anything, Nanako spoke up. “I love Junes!”

Those very words moved Yosuke. “N-Nanako-chan…!”

“But we were supposed to go on a trip…” Nanako lamented. “We were gonna eat boxed lunches…”

“Wow,” Yukiko was impressed. “Were you going to make them, Nanako-chan?”

Nanako shook her head. Instead of answering, she looked up at Megumi. The other three figured it out from there.

“Ohhh,” Chie noted. “So Megumi is the ‘big sis’ of the family! I didn’t even know you can cook!”

Nanako kept her eyes on her cousin. “… Big… Sis…”

“Really?” Yosuke spoke up. “So does that mean you’d bring lunch to school for anyone– Er, never mind.”

Megumi raised her eyebrow. It was no secret that she preferred to bring her own lunch to school. She also wondered if Yosuke implied something…

“I-I’m a pretty good cook too,” Chie spoke up. “Probably…”

Yosuke’s face winced. “Uh, lemme think about– How about NO?”

The green jacket girl took offense to that. “What makes you think I can’t cook?! Let’s have a cook-off!”

“Aren’t you protesting too much? And I never said I cooked!” Yosuke fired back. “But I have this weird feeling that I’d win anyway…”

Yukiko began to giggle. “I can understand that.”

Chie was shocked to hear this. “What the–?! Yukiko?!” She then proceeded to ramble while Yukiko kept giggling at her.

“Well, Nanako-chan can be our judge,” Yosuke said. “Bet we’ll make something that’ll be just as awesome as your mom’s cooking!”

Megumi’s eyes widened and she shot Yosuke a dark look. Both Chie and Yukiko were initially confused at first, but then quickly realized why she glared at him.

“I don’t have a mom,” Nanako simply said. “She died in an accident…”

The whole table suddenly fell silent, especially Yosuke.

“I-I see…” The headphone-clad boy stammered. “Sorry… I didn’t know…”

Megumi’s face softened as she backed off. “You’re forgiven.”

Nanako defused the tension and shook her head as she smiled. “It’s okay. Even if I don’t have my mom, I still have my dad. And now I have a sister too.”

Megumi looked back at her cousin. Words could not process in her mind as she felt moved by her cousin’s words.

“I’m having a lot of fun today! I love Junes!” Nanako continued on, the bright smile on her face remaining strong.

“Y-yeah?” Yosuke said, still feeling guilty for earlier. “That’s good.”

“We’ll play with you anytime you want, Nanako-chan!” Chie stated.

Yukiko nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we should hang out more often.”

Yosuke finally got out of his guilt-induced funk. “C’mon, Nanako-chan! Let’s go get a soda!”

Nanako nodded happily as she got up to go with Yosuke. The girls watched them with awe.

“She’s a strong girl,” Yukiko complimented.

“Yeah, it makes me feel like I’m the little kid here,” Chie admitted. She then looked at Megumi. “I think she’s very lucky to have you.”

Megumi blinked. “You… think so?”

Yukiko looked at the gray-haired girl. “Of course. She must be very happy around you.”

Chie then declared something. “That’s it! I wanna get something for Nanako-chan too!” She and Yukiko got up from their seats, leaving Megumi behind. Nanako came back for a moment.

“Do you want something too? Oh! Want to share some takoyaki?”

Megumi paused for a moment. Then, a smile spread across her face. “Sure thing.” She got up from her seat and walked off with her little cousin.

~*~

**Thursday, May 5th 2011**

 

It was the last day of Golden Week, with it being Children’s Day. It was yet another quiet evening at the Dojima residence until the man of the house walked in.

“Welcome back, Dad!” Nanako said cheerfully as she walked him to the small table.

“Welcome home, Uncle,” Megumi chirped.

“I’m sorry that I broke my promise…” Dojima sighed.

Nanako seemed to have accepted her father’s apology. “Oh, uhm… My big sis and her friends played with me instead.”

Dojima turned his head at the ‘big sis’. “I see… Thanks, Megumi.” The teenager nodded and smiled in return.

Nanako finally noticed the bag that Dojima brought with him. “Oh! That’s a Junes bag! What’s in it?”

“Good eye, Nanako,” Dojima said. “Today is Children’s Day, so I brought you a present.”

The little girl’s eyes brightened up as her father handed her a t-shirt. “Oh wow, it has a picture on the front! Haha, that’s so funny! Yay!”

Dojima then looked at Megumi. “I got you a present too, Megumi. Not that you’re a child, but fair’s fair.” He handed her a garment that was neatly folded up.

Megumi carefully unfolded it and it was a gray one piece swimsuit with a simple floral pattern. It was… actually cute. “Thank you…”

“Don’t mention it,” Dojima said. “I thought you might need one soon. Well then… let’s eat.”

The rest of the evening was very pleasant, as the family sat down and talked about different things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I am Thou... Thou art I...  
> Thou hast acquired a new bond...  
> It shall bring thee closer to the Truth...
> 
> Thou shall be blessed with the Priestess, Sun, and the Hermit Arcanas..."


	12. Chapter 11: Rocket Man

**Thursday, May 12th 2011**

 

A couple weeks had passed without much incident. There were no news of missing people and it did not rain at night, so Megumi did not have to worry about the Midnight Channel. During these days, however, her time was occupied between tennis, music club, sometimes part-time work and all her friends. She recalled that she had never been this busy before. What had brought that on since?

Speaking of friends, Megumi had also found herself in the Velvet Room more often. Once she found Margaret by herself surprisingly. According to her, absolutely nothing meaningless happens inside of the Velvet Room. Thus, the girl began a strange but enlightening friendship with the stoic woman. Megumi also began talking to Marie more often, which had varying results. Whenever Marie left behind poems, she would get angry at Megumi for reading them and the two would end up in an argument. Margaret’s piercing gaze would be more than enough to stop any further bickering when the need came up.

Midterms were coming up as well, much to Yosuke’s and Chie’s disappointment. Megumi did not consider herself a student whose exam scores were in the top 10. She usually scored within the top 20. But she did not allow this to stress her out and she had managed to talk both of them into doing small study sessions. Of course, those two had a bad habit of not focusing. She nipped this in the bud with the help of Junichi, whose no-nonsense attitude helped her friends stay on course.

It was one afternoon after the midterms were done. Yosuke was relieved while Chie went over the questions with Yukiko. Megumi was thankful the tests were done too. It was then they heard a rumor of a television crew coming to town about biker gangs…

“Biker gang?” Yukiko asked.

“Oh yeah,” Chie spoke up. “They raise a ruckus from time to time. I guess your place is too far away to hear them.”

“We live by the road,” Yosuke said. “The noise can drive you insane.”

Megumi nodded in agreement. “I haven’t heard anything here yet, but in the city, they’re usually obnoxious. I’ve also heard that some of the students here are part of a gang.”

“That’s no surprise,” Yosuke sighed. “I also heard a rumor about a first-year student here who’s a total hellraiser. One of the guys at Junes told me that dude’s been a legend since middle school.”

“Really?” Megumi blinked.

“Although… Was he in a biker gang?” Yosuke had to rattle his brain for a moment.

“D-did you say he was a legend?” Yukiko’s face lit up while her friends produced weird looks.

“Uh… Not in the way you think, Yukiko…” Chie said as she frowned.

~*~

**Friday, May 13th 2011**

 

It was evening over at the Dojima residence and the TV began to air a news report about the biker gang. However, it apparently took a turn for the worst when one of the leaders ‘attacked’ the TV crew.

“The hell are you punks doing here?!”

Dojima lowered his paper and his brow furrowed. “That voice…”

Megumi raised an eyebrow. The guy on the screen’s face was blurred out, but the jacket on his shoulders looked like it was part of the Yasogami men’s uniform… He also had bleached blonde hair slicked back.

“This ain’t a show! Get bent!”

/… _Lovely attitude you got there./_

“Is he still up to no good?” Dojima sighed.

Both Nanako and Megumi turned their heads towards him. “Do you know him, Dad?” The little girl asked.

“Mrm, well… I heard of him through work. His name’s Kanji Tatsumi. He’s quite a handful… He’s been crushing biker gangs ever since middle school.”

Megumi blinked at this fact. “That’s one tough kid.”

“Well,” Dojima said. “I thought he got into a high school and started attending class…”

“Huh,” Nanako said as the three turned their heads back to the news report as Kanji kept ranting and raving.

“Man, that blur is pointless. It’s completely obvious who it is,” Dojima grumbled.

“So he’s from around here?” Megumi asked.

The detective nodded. “His family runs a historical textile shop. I heard what happened was that he crushed the local bikers all by himself because the noise kept his mother up at night. While I admit that it’s a nice gesture, he’s way too violent… His mother will have to apologize again.”

Megumi kept her eyes on the TV, but something nagged in her mind. Wasn’t there something connected to the case…?

~*~

**Sunday, May 15th 2011**

 

The evening came in and sure enough, it rained the entire day. Megumi counted on it and it held through midnight. She kept her eyes fixed on the TV and not surprisingly, it came alive.

The TV displayed an image of a man who appeared to be a high school student. He had his hair slicked back. He was shown beating up some people.

“…..” Megumi then gasped. “That’s…”

~*~

**Monday, May 16th 2011**

 

It was after school the next day, and Yosuke suggested to the girls that they go to Junes to go over the case. He then cleared his throat.

“Alright, the meeting on our investigation of the Inaba serial-kidnapping-slash-murder case has commenced.”

“That’s too long,” Chie complained as she propped her elbows on the table.

“Oh!” Yukiko just thought of something. “Then this would mean that this is our special headquarters?”

“Hmmm,” Megumi gave it a thought as she placed an index finger on her cheek. “I like it. Has a nice ring to it.”

“So anyway,” Yosuke changed the subject. “Did you all watch the Midnight Channel last night?”

“Sure did!“ Chie said. "And I think it’s that guy!”

“His name is Kanji Tatsumi, right?” Megumi asked.

“Yep,“ Yosuke confirmed. "That crazy guy has been in the news lately.”

“Yeah, he was beating up some bikers and kept telling the camera to ‘get bent’,” Chie said.

“You’re talking about that TV special, Chie? I watched it too,” Yukiko began to frown. “He wasn’t like that when he was younger, though…”

Megumi raised her eyebrows up in surprise. “He wasn’t?”

“Wait, you know him, Yukiko?!” Chie blurted out the question.

“Uh-huh,” The red sweater girl nodded. “But we haven’t talked to each other in a very long time… His family runs a textile shop and we’ve been a customer of theirs for years. I’ve spoken with Kanji-kun’s mother from time to time.”

“Hmm,” Megumi tilted her head in thought. “Do you think we can talk to him if we go there?”

“Oh, that’s a great idea,” Yukiko voiced her support for this decision.

“That’ll give us a chance to ask him if anything strange is going on,” Yosuke said.

“I know I wouldn’t want to run into him in a dark alley, but I’d think he’d be okay at his family’s store,” Chie added.

“Besides, Yosuke can protect us just in case anything happens,” Megumi firmly nodded.

“Huh?!” The headphone-clad boy gawked at her. This girl was going to be the death of him. “Why me…?!”

Megumi gave him a deadpan look. “It’s kinda obvious who’s been hanging out with you.”

Yosuke gave his friend a look back. “You’re forgetting about Teddie.”

“He doesn’t count since he’s not in this world,” Megumi fired back. “Besides, I’m pretty sure you have nothing to worry about.”

Chie and Yukiko watched the two go back and forth once again. Whenever Megumi and Yosuke get into an argument, it was usually a spectator sport. The best part was that it usually never escalated beyond someone getting hurt by someone saying something that was out of line.

“Um… Do they do this a lot?” Yukiko asked her friend.

“Sometimes,” Chie said as she watched with slight amusement. “Makes me kinda wonder… But that’s not important. Hey, you two!”

“What?!”

Chie gave both of her friends a deadpan look of her own after being yelled at again. “Shouldn’t we get going? We’ll be screwed if we’re too late!”

“Oh,” Megumi blinked. “You have a point.”

~*~

The Investigation Team had arrived at Tatsumi Textiles. Upon entering the shop, an older woman wearing a kimono and glasses was talking to a slender figure. Megumi could see that this person wore a lot of blue. He even had blue hair and wore a blue hat. The only difference was his blue-gray eyes.

“Hello!” Yukiko greeted.

“Oh, it’s Yuki-chan,” The old woman smiled.

“Well, I must be going,” The slender boy said, with an air of calmness in his tone. “If you excuse me, ma’am.”

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t be of more help,” The old woman said in an apologetic tone.

“No, it’s quite alright,” The boy reassured her. “You’ve given me plenty to think about. Thank you.”

The boy turned around on his heel and walked past the teenagers, only giving Megumi a side glance. The gray-haired girl raised her eyebrow in return.

“Who’s that?” Yosuke asked.

“Beats me,” Megumi said as she blinked.

“Yuki-chan, you look lovely as always,” The old woman spoke up and complimented Yukiko. “How can I help you today? Are you out shopping with your friends?”

“Well, actually…”

As the girls began talking to the old woman, Yosuke began to look around. The shop itself certainly had an old fashion atmosphere to it. A lot of fabric was displayed prominently. Chie broke away from the conversation and looked at a nearby display case. It was then she recognized something.

“What’s up, Chie?” Yosuke asked as he noticed that the short haired girl’s gaze was on something.

“That scarf… I’ve seen it before…” Chie tried to think back. Suddenly, she remembered. “Oh! It was in that weird room!”

Yosuke appeared shocked. “You’re right…! Then it belonged to Ms. Yamano!”

The old woman turned her head upon hearing that name. “Are you acquaintances of Mayumi Yamano?”

“Ah,” Megumi spoke up. “Uh, sorta…”

“Did Ms. Yamano happen to have a scarf like this?” Yosuke asked.

“Yes,” The old lady nodded. “It was a special order placed by her. Actually, she ordered a pair, but in the end, she chose to buy the women’s scarf. It left us with no choice but to sell this one separately.”

“I see,” Megumi said as she began to think to herself. / _Then is this connected to the first case…?/_

Then a delivery person arrived at another door, which prompted the teenagers to take their leave.

~*~

Upon leaving the front door, they barely took a step out and noticed the strange blue-haired boy talking to Kanji Tatsumi himself.

“Oh, it’s Kanji-kun,” Yukiko noted.

“Oh shit, we gotta hide!” Yosuke said as he pushed the girls into hiding behind a mailbox.

Megumi blinked. “Uh… is this gonna work?”

“It will if you keep quiet!” Yosuke said in a hushed tone.

“You’re still not fooling anyone,” Chie grumbled.

Megumi felt a flash of anger, but she kept it down. The boy had a point, so she became silent and eavesdropped on the conversation.

“Uh… Tomorrow’s fine with me…” Kanji said, appearing unsure of something.

“Then I shall meet you at the gates after school tomorrow,” The boy said and quietly left the taller boy behind.

Kanji appeared conflicted over something. “Did he just say… that he’s interested… in me? But he’s a guy… and I’m a guy…”

He then turned and noticed the group looking at him. “Hey!!”

_/Gyah!/_

“The hell are you twits looking at?!”

“Run!” Yosuke shouted as he and the girls beat a hasty retreat, leaving behind a seething Kanji.

Further down the street and into the gate of Tatsuhime Shrine, the teens ran in to catch their breath.

“That scared the hell out of me…!” Chie said as she placed her hands on her knees. “He’s even scarier in person than on TV…!”

“It’s too bad…” Megumi said in between breaths. “… That we couldn’t hear much out of their conversation…”

“Well, I got an idea! Tomorrow, we’ll do a stakeout!” Yosuke announced when he began to breathe normally.

“A stakeout…?” Chie said while giving Yosuke a weird look.

“… Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Megumi piped up. “The two of us can watch the textile shop while the other two can keep tabs on Kanji himself.”

“That being said,” Yosuke said as he pulled out his phone. “Yukiko, I’m gonna need your number.”

Yukiko looked at him with a bewildered expression while Megumi gave the boy a deadpan look.

“Was that your idea all along?!” Chie shouted.

“Hey, it’s not for anything weird! I just need it for the investigation, that’s all!” Yosuke frowned as he turned back to Yukiko.

The raven-haired girl appeared to be in thought until something popped up in her mind. “Oh yeah, I need to buy some tofu on my way home.”

“Let’s go ahead and get them now!” Chie said as she immediately took Yukiko’s arm. “We’ll see ya tomorrow!” She waved them off as Yukiko was being dragged away.

Yosuke appeared crestfallen while Megumi had to stifle some giggles.

“Ooo, shot down.”

“Not another word.”

~*~

**Tuesday, May 17th 2011**

 

The following day arrived and school was out for the day. The Investigation Team kept out of Kanji’s sight and watched as he and the mysterious boy met again in front of the school gate and walked away.

“What was that about…?” Yosuke asked with a look of confusion on his face.

“Anyway, we need to hurry and decide who’s going where or else we’re gonna lose them!” Chie said.

“R-right,” Yosuke said as he regained his composure. “How about… Chie and I will go after Kanji, while Megumi and Yukiko will keep an eye on the textile shop.”

“Excuse me?!” Chie said out loud.

“Ah… yeah, that sounds good,” Megumi said as she nodded. “You guys better get going, though.”

“Yeah. C’mon, Chie!” Yosuke began to run with an annoyed green jacket girl in tow.

“I hope those two will be alright…” Yukiko said as she frowned.

Megumi only shrugged. “As long as they can keep their cool… But this is Yosuke and Chie we’re talking about.”

“That’s true…” Yukiko nodded. “Well, we should get going then. Shall we?”

~*~

As the two girls stuck around in the nearby Tatsuhime Shrine, silence brewed between the two. It didn’t appear that Yukiko was nervous around Megumi, it was just the two barely becoming friends.

“Do you think the culprit will come, Megumi-chan?” Yukiko asked.

“If he learns that Kanji isn’t home, then probably not,” Megumi responded as she took a sip out of her bottled water she got for the stakeout.

“Then our efforts may become fruitless,” Yukiko said. “But maybe that’ll be for the best.”

“Well, don’t worry about it,” Megumi said. “We’ll do what we can to prevent Kanji from being shoved into a TV.”

The raven-haired girl nodded. “You’re right… But if we do find the culprit, I’ll do what I can to help catch him. You all saved my life, so I owe you this much.”

Megumi nodded back. “We appreciate the help. I also noticed that you and Chie have been closer.”

Yukiko nodded again but this time with a smile. “It is obvious, isn’t it? Chie saved my life more than once, too. And because of her and you, I’m able to talk to boys like Yosuke-kun these days.”

“Although with him, you gotta be more assertive,” Megumi said as she frowned. “Like… that other day when you slapped him because he said something weird.”

“Oh, uhm… That was still a mistake on my part,” Yukiko admitted while smiling nervously. Despite appearances, it looked like she was having fun with Megumi. Then a stray thought popped up. “Oh! That reminds me, I don’t have your phone number.”

“Ah, yeah, you’re right,” Megumi then pulled out her phone and exchanged numbers with Yukiko.

~*~

Almost an hour had passed, but nothing happened. Megumi began to yawn loudly, wondering when someone suspicious would show up. Yukiko picked up her head when she noticed something speeding down the street.

“Hm? There’s Chie and Yosuke-kun.”

“Wha- Huh?”

The two teenagers managed to stop in their tracks and bowed in apology.

“We regret to tell you…” Chie said as she tried to catch her breath. “… That the mission failed.”

“Sorry… There was nowhere to hide,” Yosuke added.

“… Really, guys?” Megumi sighed in irritation. She concluded that maybe she should’ve gone with Yosuke since the two were less volatile then whenever Chie’s around. But what had transpired had passed.

“Well, in that case,” Yukiko spoke up. “Let’s wait here a little longer. Kanji-kun should be heading home by now.”

Megumi picked her head up when she heard footsteps coming their way. Speak of the devil, there stood Kanji.

“What the hell are you doing here?!”

Yosuke and Chie spun on their heels with panic in their system.

“O-oh, hey again…” Chie spoke nervously.

“You’re those stupid lovebirds I just saw!” The tall boy exclaimed.

The green sweater girl reacted with anger. “We’re not a couple!”

“So, why’re you assholes following me around?!”

Megumi would admit that trying to talk to Kanji while he was like this was unnerving. However, the main plan was to ensure his safety. But now that she thought about it, how would one ensure the safety of a tall, menacing high school kid who had crushed biker gangs with his own fists?

“It’s not you guys or anything… It’s just… Dammit…” The tall boy sighed to himself and muttered under his breath.

Yosuke took this opportunity to ask him a question. “Mind if we ask something? Has anything strange happened to you lately?”

Kanji apparently took offense. “Did… Did you just say ‘strange’?” His voice began to pick up. “Are you saying that I’m strange?!”

“N-no, we’re not! It’s just–”

“You shitheads better get out of my face! Get the hell out of here, or I’ll take you down!!”

“Wh-wait, why– Oh shit!!”

The teenagers began to run away from Kanji again. Megumi’s eyes widened as she realized that Kanji might not know that he was still in danger. Noticing that he was right behind them again, she turned her head to Yosuke.

“You guys go on ahead!”

“What? Why?!”

“Just do it!!”

As soon as the three put some distance from Megumi, the gray-haired girl stopped right in her tracks. Kanji noticed and began to stop as well.

“You think I’m joking about this, huh?! You wanna go at it?!” He began to yell at her.

“Are you done?” Megumi narrowed her eyes at him. He didn’t appear to back down from her glance, but he stopped raving long enough to listen to her. “You may be in danger. Please, be careful.” She then began to walk away from him. All she could hear was Kanji muttering to himself and her own heart beating a million miles out of fear.

/… _.. Goddammit, that scared the living hell out of me!!/_

As she reached her friends, they all appeared relieved that Megumi managed to walk away from that encounter unharmed.

“Megumi, have you lost your mind?!” Yosuke began to sputter out of a mixture of anger and disbelief. “What if he laid a hand on you…?!”

“He probably wouldn’t,” Megumi said as she tried to calm herself down from the scary encounter. This was a good chance that moment probably took off ten years of her life. “He lives with his mom, and she probably taught him not to hit girls. If not that, then I took my chances. He’d be screwed if he were to find out that he laid his hands on a detective’s niece.”

Yosuke’s jaw dropped. Sometimes learning new things about her was either a pleasant surprise or downright scary.

“Still, that was pretty reckless,” Chie frowned. “And we got nothing done today, except a lot of running…”

“But this still doesn’t mean that he’s not safe yet,” Yosuke said. “It’s already been a few days since he appeared on the Midnight Channel.”

“Then we can’t let our guard down,” Yukiko spoke up. “We can check on him again tomorrow.”

The Team nodded in agreement. Even with the warning Megumi gave him, Kanji was not safe.

~*~

Megumi honestly hated it when her gut feeling was right sometimes.

She just received a call from Yukiko, who had reported to her that Kanji was now missing. According to his mother, this was nothing new as he usually left his house at different times. But with the Midnight Channel, this may be different…

When midnight finally struck, Megumi’s TV came alive once again. Like before with Yukiko’s case, the picture was all bright and clear. The background looked like it belonged to a sauna or a bathhouse. Before Megumi could figure out what was going on in there…

“I am so hot, I am on fire!!”

Approaching the screen was Kanji himself, or what might be Kanji. Megumi wasn’t sure at this point. He wore a perverted gaze as he spoke into a microphone in his hand. She also just noticed that he was only clad in a… fundoshi…

“Hel-LO, my dear viewers! It’s time for ‘Bad, Bad Bathhouse’!”

/… _.. Uh…/_

“Tonight, I’ll introduce a superb site that will help those who are searching for love that goes beyond the separation of the sexes!” He ended that with a playful growl.

/… _.. Uhhhh…/_

“I am your host, Kanji Tatsumi. I am coming to you live for a special sneak-in report! You know, my dears, I got such a smoking hot body… What would happen to me if I just go right in?! It’s making me tingle with such excitement! Ooooo! Let’s just go ahead and get this show on the road! Toodles!” He then skipped off into the direction of the bathhouse. The broadcast ended there.

“…..”

/… _The hell did I just watch?/_

Someone else might have thought the same thing, as Megumi’s phone began to ring. She was not surprised to see Yosuke’s name displayed on the caller ID.

“H-hey… What the…?! Did you just…?!”

“… Yep. That was Kanji.”

“… Yeah, but… Dammit, this is what we were trying to prevent!”

“I know. Not even my warning helped…” Megumi’s tone carried disappointment.

Yosuke sighed. “But that place he ran into, what do you think that is…?”

“It looked like a bathhouse, but… It’s all foggy…”

“Ugh, and nothing he said makes any sense! We’ll have to hurry and come up with a plan tomorrow!”

Megumi made an affirming hum before hanging up. They would have to dive back into the TV world once again and go rescue Kanji from a very strange and dangerous predicament…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I am Thou... Thou art I...  
> Thou hast acquired a new bond...  
> It shall bring thee closer to the Truth...
> 
> Thou shall be blessed with the Empress Arcana..."


	13. Chapter 12: The Inner Thoughts of Man

**Wednesday, May 18th 2011**

 

The Investigation Team regrouped after school and planned on heading back into the TV world. After some discussion, they speculated that the culprit might be just sitting back and laughing his head off about all this. This furthered the ire of Chie, who suggested that they go rescue Kanji, then they crush the killer. Finally, they crush the killer and send him straight to hell. This motivational moment had strengthened their resolve to rescuing Kanji.

When they arrived at the TV world, they could see Teddie hunched over with his paws holding his head.

“Teddie…?” Megumi asked with concern in her voice. “Is something wrong?”

“O-oh!” The bear turned around. “It’s Sensei and her friends… But uh… Uhhh… I-I think there is someone in here, but then again I’m not so sure…”

“What do you mean by that?” Yosuke frowned as he stared at him.

“We think it’s a boy named Kanji Tatsumi,” Yukiko said.

Teddie tried to think some more, but the worry on his face was clear. “I-I want to think that someone’s here but I can’t think straight right now… I’m still wondering who I really am and I just can’t figure it out…”

“He’s seriously down…” Chie said as she frowned.

“Dude, don’t stress out like that,” Yosuke grumbled. “Your head’s empty to begin with.”

“Yeah… You’re right… But…” Teddie sighed.

Megumi also produced a frown on her face. “If Teddie can’t help us find Kanji, then we’re screwed. What can we do…?”

“You’re right, we can’t just wonder around here aimlessly,” Yosuke affirmed.

Teddie’s face then brightened up with an idea. “Oh, I got it! Maybe if you were to give me a clue about this Kanji person, then I might be able to find him!”

“A clue…?” Chie tried to think of one right off the bat. “Like what…?”

“Well, I can’t really think of anything that links to him aside from rumors,” Yosuke said.

“Why don’t we ask around and find people who know Kanji-kun personally?” Yukiko suggested.

“Anything would do,” Teddie said. “I just need some form of hint that would tell me what this Kanji is really like.”

Megumi pondered to herself. She began to wonder if there’s more to him than his tough-guy image.

~*~

As the teens went around town to gather any clues, Megumi and Yukiko paid a visit to Kanji’s mother. It was there that they learned that Kanji was indeed a mother’s son. His mother affirmed that he did beat up some bikers because they had kept her up at night due to the noise they made. When they left the shop, they noticed that Yosuke and Chie were talking to a little boy. Upon meeting him, Megumi learned that Kanji had helped him out by making him a new phone strap, which consisted of a well-made bunny. To her surprise, it was really cute.

Upon the boy’s permission, they had borrowed the strap from him and began to head back to Junes. However, they noticed a familiar figure standing nearby the elevators.

“Ah, so our paths cross again,” The blue-haired boy with the hat said as he noticed the teenagers.

“Right back at you,” Megumi said.

“I assumed that you heard about Kanji Tatsumi,” The boy said as he got straight to the point.

“Yeah, speaking of him,” Yosuke spoke up. “What did the two of you talk about yesterday?”

“Huh…?” The boy appeared to be thrown off by this kind of question. “Why do you ask…?”

“U-uh… We’re just curious, that’s all,” The headphone-clad boy said as he tried to think of an excuse.

“Hmm,” The boy nodded. “Alright, since it seems that you’re all in a hurry, I’ll make this brief. We just made small talk, but…”

“But…?” Yukiko said as she blinked.

“His actions seemed to be forced and unnatural, so I decided to ask him why he was acting strangely. His face drained of color and he began to stammer a lot. I come to suspect that he may have some sort of complex, but I have no conclusive proof of it.“

“Really…?” Chie said.

“Oh…” Megumi thought of the boy’s words. This might be enough to help Teddie find Kanji.

~*~

Upon returning to the TV world, Megumi had given Teddie the bunny strap and explained to him that Kanji might possess some sort of complex. Teddie began to focus as he sniffed the strap.

“Man, that bear is like a freaky, talking dog,” Yosuke commented.

“But he’s our only shot at finding Kanji,” Megumi said as she looked at him.

“I know that, but…”

“Oh!” Teddie interrupted them with a realization. “I think I may have hit the jackpot! Or at least I think I have. I think I’m bear on!” He said with excitement as he handed the strap back to Megumi. “Okay, follow the bear!”

~*~

Upon following Teddie, the Team had arrived at the entrance of what appeared to be a bathhouse. Megumi began to feel unease in her gut as the mugginess enveloped her.

“This where Kanji is… Right?” The gray-haired girl asked.

“The fog here is a little different, isn’t it?” Chie asked.

Yukiko was preoccupied with her glasses. “My glasses are all fogging up…”

Yosuke tugged at his inner shirt. “Man, it’s so hot in here… Feels like a-”

All of a sudden, jazz music began to play through the nearby speakers and it caused the Team to be on their guard. Then, some voices began to speak up.

‘C’mere, pussycat…’

‘Oh, such well-defined pecs…’

‘There’s no need to be scared… Just relax…’

Megumi’s face began to reel in embarrassment as the girls sported unsure looks. Yosuke, being the only male barring Teddie, appeared to be the most uncomfortable of the group.

“Ugh… D-do we really have to go in there…? I-I mean… Uh… Let’s think about this for a sec here…” The boy stammered as the sweat on his face became visible.

“Hey, Teddie,” Yukiko looked at the bear. “Are you absolutely certain that Kanji-kun is in there?”

Teddie nodded. “The nose knows!”

“Well,” Chie sighed. “Guess we’ll have to go in there.”

“W-wait!” Yosuke began to protest. “I-I don’t think we should go in there! I-I mean there’s some things that I might not be able to unsee! A-And things that I might lose that I don’t wanna lose-!”

“Oh, shut up!” Chie grabbed Yosuke by the ear and began to drag him inside. “We’re going in!”

Megumi and Yukiko watched Chie drag him in while the boy protested. The leader sighed. “Well… let’s get this over with…”

However, things did not go smoothly as Yosuke continued to protest very loudly.

“H-hey! Megumi! I got an idea! Since there’s you, Chie and Yukiko, you all can go ahead and lead the front while I guard the entrance!”

Megumi turned very quickly on her heel and gave him a piercing gaze that sent more sweat down his back.

“Man up, Yosuke!” Chie began to shout at him. “If you think you’re gonna leave the three of us in here, you’ve got another thing coming!”

“Do I have to remind you that we’re here to save Kanji and we’re the only ones who can do that? Now grow a spine!” Megumi sighed in irritation as she continued to follow Teddie.

The boy sighed in defeat. “I guess you’re right… He’s not the complete thug I thought he was, so… I, uh, I guess I’ll just nut up a bit…”

~*~

However, upon reaching a certain room within the bathhouse, the Team had found Kanji. As before with Yukiko and her castle, this Kanji’s eyes were colored in that eerie color of gold. As he noticed the teenagers, he began to flex in a happy and seductive manner.

“Ooh-la-la!”

The team collectively groaned while unease weighed on them.

“My, my,” Kanji purred. “Thank you so much for noticing me! I am Kanji and I have penetrated this facility!” He then winked.

Yosuke finally had enough and summoned Jiraiya. Before his Persona could make a move, Chie stopped him.

“Alright! Wait a second!”

“Screw that! I just say that we get this over with! I don’t know if I can take another second of this freaky place!!”

Kanji appeared unperturbed by Yosuke’s actions. “We’re airing live and oh myyy, I’ve yet to have any charming encounters! Could this fog be the cause?! Oh, but all of this is making my blood start to pump!”

Chie had changed her mind and summoned Tomoe. Megumi also had enough and summoned Izanagi.

“W-wait! Sensei! Chie! Not you too!” Teddie cried out as he and Yukiko suddenly had two more people ready to jump in the fray.

“Sorry, but this guy bugs!” Chie grumbled.

“Yeah, I agree…” Megumi also mumbled.

Kanji now wore a face of smugness. “Alright, sweeties. Since everyone here is all hot and bothered, let’s go ahead and go to the next segment! No girls allowed!”

“Y’know, this is kinda like with Yukiko and her Shadow…” Chie said, only to have her friend shoot her an incredulous look.

“N-no, it wasn’t! It wasn’t anything like that!” Yukiko began to mutter to herself.

“But man, seriously,“ Yosuke whimpered. "Just what the hell is going on?” He then gasped as he heard the garbled voices overlapping each other.

“I-It’s the Shadows…!” Teddie confirmed as he hid behind Megumi again.

“Well, as much I like to get my groove on with you, I must continue my search for the deepest pinnacles of romance!“ He then turned around and began to run off. "Follow if you dare!”

“H-hey! Wait!” Megumi and Yosuke tried to reach out, but more Shadows began to appear. The ones that were appearing here looked slightly different from the ones in Yukiko’s castle.

Within Yukiko, something burned inside of her will. She appeared to be at a breaking point until she said, “That… That really… ticks me off!” She grabbed her fan and gracefully struck the card that floated before her. “Persona!”

Konohana Sakuya appeared and as the Shadows began to box in the team, she rose up and unleashed fiery bursts, effectively destroying them.

“W-whoa, Yukiko…” Megumi said as she appeared to be both amazed and terrified of her power. She then noticed more Shadows appearing as they tried to ambush them again. “Izanagi!”

“You’re up, Jiraiya!” Yosuke also shouted.

Both of the Personas worked together to eliminate more Shadows, but Konohana Sakuya unleashed more fiery bursts and both Megumi’s and Yosuke’s Personas were a little too close for comfort. Unfortunately, both teenagers could feel it.

“Ahh! Ease up there, Yukiko!” Megumi said as she tried to fan herself.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! That’s too hot!” Yosuke shouted as he flailed around.

“S-sorry!” Yukiko shot her friends an apologetic look.

Chie had Tomoe finish off what was left of the Shadows by encasing them in ice. Izanagi finished the job by slashing at them with her sword.

“I think Yosuke’s right,” Chie said as the teens began to run again. “The longer we stay here, the more creepy it’s gonna get!”

~*~

By the time the Investigation Team reached the final door, all four of them stared at it.

“Uh… Guess we’re here,” Megumi said with reluctance in her tone.

“Y-yeah,” Yosuke confirmed. “He’s gotta be in there.”

“Well, let’s go in there and take this guy!” Chie tried to reassure her friends, but her tone was uneven.

“Okay, but keep your cool,” Yukiko said.

“You might wanna take your own advice,” Yosuke suggested.

“W-well, no matter what happens, we gotta stay focused! We’re the only ones that can save Kanji!” The green jacket girl once again tried to reassure her teammates.

Yukiko began to giggle. “Chie, you’ve already said that earlier.”

“Well, I’m trying to get a point across!” Her friend shouted.

“Huh? You were?” The red sweater girl raised her eyebrows.

“Like I haven’t heard her the first time anyway!” Yosuke complained loudly. “Sometimes, I just don’t get you, Yukiko…”

Then all the teenagers faced the door again and silence brewed between them. Teddie finally broke the ice. “Uh, aren’t you guys gonna go in there?”

“Huh?” All the teenagers spoke up at the same time.

“Do we really have to…?” The headphone-clad boy grumbled again. “I mean there are some things that’ll get seared into my brain and–”

“Okay!” Megumi spoke up. “We’re gonna let Yosuke open the door.”

“Wha-?!” He shot her a look of disbelief. “C’mon, Megumi!”

“Hey, do I have to repeat myself about saving Kanji? Now, c’mon!” She began to push him towards the door. “Let’s just get this over with, okay?”

“Ugh… Alright, alright…” Yosuke reluctantly opened the door. The girls and Teddie peeked over his shoulder and in there stood Kanji and his Shadow self.

Megumi gasped out loud. “Kanji!”

Kanji didn’t hear them as he was listening to his own Shadow, who was berating him for not being true to himself. On cue, the nearby baths began to overflow and the water reached over to the Team.

“Uh, what’s that?” Chie said as she noticed her feet getting covered. “It this suppose to slow us down-?!” Before she could finish her sentence, she started to run ahead but she began to slip.

“Chie!” Yukiko cried out as she grabbed her friend’s wrist, but she was being dragged down.

“Wh-whoa! Yukiko!“ Megumi attempted to grab Yukiko but she fell forward as well and right into the water. "What the hell…? Ugh, it’s so sticky and gross!”

“Uh… Uh…“ Yosuke attempted to think straight, but his brain began to short circuit. Before him, the three girls were struggling to get up and they complained about the strange substance. His eyes were particularly on Megumi’s back and he began to blush as his eyes trailed down. "Wh-whoa… Wish I brought a camera…!”

“Th-this isn’t funny…!” Chie shouted as she still failed in trying to get up.

Megumi heard him and she turned her head and glared at him. “Quit gawking at us or that Shadow’s not the only thing that’s gonna get it’s ass kicked!!”

As Yosuke stammered and tried to help his classmates out, Kanji appeared lost and confused as his counterpart began to talk.

“Honey, what do you say it’s time to drop the charade?”

“Wh-what did you say…?”

“Don’t you know how awful it is to deceive others, much less yourself? What’s wrong with wanting to do what I want to do?”

Kanji began to look off to the side. “That’s not…”

“In all honesty, I am what you really want to be.”

The tall boy glared at his other self. “You lying sack of shit!”

Yosuke noticed this and began to shout, “Kanji! Don’t listen to him!” As he tried to summon Jiraiya, he ended up slipping on the watery goo and fell down.

“I-I’ll get you!” Teddie tried to help, but his short legs proved to be his bane. He ended up slipping on the goo and skidded off in an opposite direction.

Megumi grunted as she tried to get up along with the others. If they would hurry and get up...!

“Ohhh, how I hate girls,” The Shadow began to twist his face in anger. “So arrogant and self-centered! They’re so much trouble! They always talk behind your back and spread lies! They look at me like I’m some sort of freak! ‘You like to sew? What a queer!’ ‘Painting is so not you!’ ‘But you’re a guy!’”

“You prick…” Kanji’s anger was beginning to boil. “If you don’t shut up…” He began to kneel down and the Shadow simply towered over him.

“What does it mean to be ‘a guy’?! What does it mean to be ‘manly’?! What does any of that mean?!” The Shadow then sighed. “Girls are just so scary…”

“I… I ain’t scared of them…” Kanji looked back up at his Shadow.

“Oh really?” The Shadow’s eyes narrowed. “You were even stopped by one not too long ago! Like I just said, girls are so scary… That’s why men are much better.”

Kanji kept his glare but he couldn’t form any words.

“They’re much different. They never say any of those awful degrading things… Yes, I vastly prefer men.”

“You…! The hell makes you think you can say that shit with my own face…?!”

“Why, it’s quite obvious…” The Shadow then flashed a menacing smile. “You’re me… and I’m so you.”

“Like hell you are…”

Megumi noticed that Kanji was at a breaking point. If this continued…! “Wait, Kanji! Don’t-!”

“There’s no freaking way that you’re a part of me!”

Silence suddenly fell in the area. Kanji’s Shadow then began to chuckle as mass amounts of energy began to surround him.

“I’m sorry, but you are me and there’s no denying it!”

By the time the transformation was complete, the doppelganger took on a form of a huge masculine figure, with him peeking out of a bed of flowers. He held onto two weapons that appeared to look like male symbols. Accompanying him was two separate figures that also sported masculine features.

“I am a Shadow… The true self…!”

Megumi and the rest groaned at the fact that they now had a rogue Shadow to contend with as they finally got back up. Kanji had enough of his Shadow and didn’t back down.

“I’ve had enough of all this bullshit you’re slinging!”

The Shadow only chuckled in his face. “Why don’t you just get out of my way?!” With a motion of his arms, lightning erupted from thin air and it pushed the teenager back.

“Kanji-kun!” Yukiko cried out as she and the rest checked on him. He appeared unconscious for now. “Are these his true feelings…?”

“It’s not!” Yosuke shouted. “It’s just his emotions have gone all haywire!”

“I just wanted to be myself!” The Shadow bellowed at the teenagers. “And I’ll get rid of anyone that wants to stop me!”

“Let’s get them!“ Megumi shouted as she summoned Izanagi. Jiraiya, Tomoe, and Konohana Sakuya appeared shortly after and rushed in to engage the bodyguards first.

As Tomoe landed a blow on one of them, it appeared to be asking for more. “Hey now, c’mon, baby!”

“What the hell?!” Chie cursed as she was shocked to see this happen.

Konohana Sakuya attempted to burn the other one, but it shrugged off the fire. “Ohhh! It feels so good!”

“Oh no…!” Yukiko cried out as she was shocked to see this as well.

“Oh hell…!” Megumi grumbled as Izanagi tried to fight the two off, but she was clearly struggling. “This is just too weird…!”

“Hey, Teddie!” Yosuke shouted at the bear. “Just what’re we dealing with?! These are some major creepers here!”

“If I’m a gambling bear, then I’d think those figures are also a part of Kanji’s Shadow!” The bear said.

Izanagi once again attempted to charge forward, but then one of the figures grabbed her. “Ohhhh! You’re not bad for a girl…!”

“Gyah!” Megumi felt creeped out as she recalled Izanagi back. She decided to summon a more aggressive kind of Persona. "Valkyrie!”

A womanly figure riding a horse came charging in with a sword and shield. Jiraiya tried to back her up, but then one of the bodyguards swatted her away and then grabbed onto Jiraiya.

“Ugh!” Megumi was pushed back as Valkyrie landed onto a nearby pillar and disappeared. This blow knocked the wind out of the girl as she struggled to get up.

“M-Megumi! You alright?!” Yosuke shouted but then the teenagers that were standing noticed the other bodyguard appearing behind him.

It only giggled and had reached down to grope the headphone-clad boy. “You look yummy…!”

Yosuke gasped in total shock as he fell forward and appeared ill. “I’m out.”

“Uwah! That monster’s toxic!” Teddie cried out as he tried to revive Yosuke. “He totally broke his spirit in half!!”

“Oh crap, Yosuke’s out cold and Megumi-chan’s hurting!” Chie said as she looked around.

“That’s okay,” Yukiko said as she tried to stay calm. “At least the monsters aren’t interested in us. I think…” She then noticed the same one nearby walking away and giving her a stink eye. “… Y-you’re talking to me…?”

“You don’t look good in red!”

“… What?!”

Yukiko’s rage channeled into Konohana Sakuya as she amplified the fire in an attempt to reduce the monster to ashes. However, it only giggled as he taunted her. “Keep it coming!”

“Ah! Calm down, Yukiko!” Chie shouted, but then the other monster looked down on her. “Uh… Can I help you…?” The short-haired girl asked, but the only response she got was a sympathetic nod.

“You’re freaking me out!!”

Tomoe appeared and through sheer will, the monster began to be encased in ice. Like the one before, this one only chuckled and relished this moment. “Ah! This feels good!”

“A-alright, everyone! Calm down! Keep your cool!” Teddie tried to keep control of the situation but the girls were getting pissed off by the second. Megumi managed to recover from the painful blow as she looked up and noticed that Kanji’s Shadow was planning on something.

“Hmhmhm… They weren’t any trouble after all. In fact… They’re a joke!“ The Shadow reared back and unleashed more electricity at the Personas that were standing, causing pain to Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko and Teddie as well.

Megumi gasped. “No…!”

“I did say that I would get rid of you, didn’t I?!” Then the Shadow noticed that his real self was still alive as he struggled to get up. “Tch… You eyesore!”

“Kanji…!” Megumi ran forward and in a split second, she crushed a new Persona card. “Ara Mitama…!”

The tall teenager expected this blow to end him. However, nothing happened to him. As he looked up, a girl with two circular tails was standing in front of him. Floating in front of her was a small red figure with a protective barrier up front, absorbing most of the electric attack.

“Arrrrgh…!” Megumi, however, still felt pain as electricity coursed through her body. She began to pant hard as she fell forward on her knees and something fell out of her pocket. Kanji recognized it right away, as it was a strap he made not too long ago.

“Oh, aren’t you just annoying?!” The Shadow said as he glared at Megumi and reared back for another attack.

Megumi glared at the Shadow right back with gritted teeth as she got back up. "Not yet…!” As another electric attack began to descend upon her, she could hear everyone crying out for her. As long as she was still breathing, as long as she was still standing… She must protect Kanji and everyone else!

“Narcissus!”

Megumi crushed another Persona card with both of her hands and the figure appeared as a male beauty with long blonde hair with flowers on his head. Just before the electricity could strike, Narcissus formed a stronger barrier and protected both Megumi and Kanji.

“Back… off!”

Narcissus redirected the attack back to Kanji’s Shadow as the attack also incapacitated the bodyguards. Then suddenly, pillars of ice began to encase the Shadow and its henchmen immediately. Kanji reached out and grabbed the bunny strap. “Th… This is…”

“You made that… right?”

Kanji looked up and noticed the girl that stopped him in his tracks yesterday was talking to him. “Y… Yeah… What about it? You gonna make fun of–”

“No,” Megumi said. “In fact… I think it’s admirable.”

“H-huh?!” Kanji produced a faint blush.

Megumi turned slightly and looked at the tall boy with a small smile. “In fact… The strap you made is really cute. I wanna see more of your creations.”

“C-cute?!” Kanji’s face began to flush.

“Y-you think it’s cute?!” The Shadow began to echo Kanji’s thoughts as it broke free of his icy prison. “Of course! It is cute! I love everything cute!!”

Kanji began to get on his feet, a new resolve burning within. Megumi did not stop him as he began to walk up to his own Shadow.

“Ugh, you’re so persistent!” The Shadow seethed, angered that it had begun to weaken.

“Yep,” Kanji affirmed. “That’s just how I am.”

“Huh? Come again?”

“You heard me, bastard!” Kanji began to pick up his speed. “I can’t help it! I love cute shit!!” He then raised up his fist and punched the Shadow back. Upon the resolve growing within Kanji’s heart, the bodyguards yelled out in pain as they finally disappeared.

“Megumi, now!“ Yosuke shouted from afar. With Kanji out of harm’s way, it was time to put a stop to this.

With one last push, the beautiful Narcissus unleashed massive gusts of wind, which had cut into the Shadow himself as he cried out in agony. With no strength left, he fell over in defeat while crying out for someone to accept him.

Kanji was breathing heavily, as the idea of facing oneself took a major toll. “Dammit…” He then looked at the gray-haired girl. “… Look, it made me happy that you called that strap I made cute… And you didn’t make fun of me at all.” He began to look off in a distance as he blushed some more.

“Kanji-kun, are you alright?” Yukiko asked as she and the others walked up to him and Megumi.

“W-wait!” Chie shouted as she noticed that Kanji’s Shadow began to stir. “I-It’s still moving!”

“Oh no!” Teddie cried out. “It’s still coming at us!”

“I don’t care who! Somebody…! Anybody…! Please accept me for who I am…!!” The Shadow began to walk forward with his arms outstretched.

“Whoa whoa whoa, wait!” Yosuke began to freak out. “I-I don’t swing that way!!”

“I said to cut that crap out!!” Kanji shouted as he met his other self halfway and punched him down. He then scoffed. “Can’t believe that something like this is inside me…”

“Kanji…” Megumi began to say something but she cut herself short and allowed Kanji to express his inner thoughts.

“Yeah. I already know about you. I already know that you exist. This isn’t about guys or chicks. I’m just scared shitless of being made fun of, being rejected. I’m just a big old coward who spends most of his time pushing people away because of that fear. Now get up. Anyone that looks like me isn’t so weak that they can’t take a punch.”

As commanded, Kanji’s Shadow began to get up. Although he appeared battered, he looked at his real self with earnest eyes.

“You’re me and I’m you. This isn’t some major revelation, you freaking moron!”

The Shadow then nodded with a smile. Suddenly, a gentle light washed over him and his form changed. This new form was a giant black figure with skeleton markings on it. It also held a thunderbolt-shaped weapon.

Kanji had faced his other self and thus, had acquired the facade to overcome life’s hardships.

“Oh, that must be Kanji-kun’s new Persona,” Yukiko said as the Team watched in awe.

“…..” Kanji smirked as the flow of power went through him. “… Take-Mikazuchi… Persona…” He then fell on his back. “Whoa… Shit…”

Megumi gasped. “Kanji!” She then looked up at her friends. “Let’s get him out of here!”

~*~

In Junes' electronics department, Kanji was sitting down as he tried to catch his breath.

“Kanji-kun, are you alright?” Yukiko asked again.

“It’s… It’s nothin’…” Kanji tried to pick himself back up but he couldn’t find the strength for that. “Whoa…” He then began to grin. “I feel great… Like my mind’s all clear now…”

Yosuke then looked at the girls. “I’ll go ahead and take him home. You can go ahead and go.”

Megumi shook her head. “I’ll go with you two.”

“I appreciate that…” Kanji mumbled. He had a lot of things to tell her.

After bidding the girls a good night, Yosuke and Megumi began to walk Kanji back to his home.

“Uh…” Kanji began to speak up. “About what happened in there…”

Megumi looked up at him. “Don’t worry about it.”

The taller boy looked at her hard. “Bullshit. I ain’t that stupid… But you will tell me what’s going on, right…?“

Megumi gave it a thought. Might as well not hide anything from him. “Yeah, you have my word. You just need to rest for now.”

“We’ll be waiting for you at school,” Yosuke spoke up.

Kanji began to frown. “School…? Sure, if I ever feel like going…”

Megumi then began to look forward. She felt pride swelling in her chest. She and her friends had succeeded in rescuing Kanji. Now, all they could do was wait for his recovery. She had hoped that this would shed new light on the case that had proved to be elusive thus far…


	14. Chapter 13: Dirty Little Secrets

**Friday, May 20th 2011**

 

Life returned to normal in some way or another for Megumi. The only thing different was that she and the rest of the Investigation Team were waiting for Kanji to recover from the events that happened the other day. In the meantime, her usual activity was taken up, but this time King Moron had her cover for someone in the Health Committee. It was there that she met Naoki Konishi, the brother of Saki. Unfortunately, the two didn’t meet on good terms, as Naoki expressed his dislike for her and Yosuke.

However, Megumi was determined to make this friendship work. She could see that Naoki did not want to be pitied. He wanted to be treated like a normal student. However, the circumstances were different for him, since his own sister was murdered. When he noticed Megumi and the kindness she had shown in returning something that once belonged to Saki herself, Naoki slowly began to open up to her.

The same could be said for Yukiko as well. Ever since Megumi began to hang out with her, she had revealed that she didn't want to inherit the Amagi Inn and wanted to become more independent. However, Megumi had learned first-hand that her friend’s cooking skills left a lot to be desired…

Speaking of food, Suzume also had Megumi taste her food as well. The reason for that was because she had developed a crush on someone and wanted her cooking to be ‘perfect’. Megumi began to wonder if her crush was one of the boys in her class. She tried to guess that it was Kou Ichijo, one of the school’s basketball players.

“Hmm,” Suzume thought to herself for a second as she and the gray-haired girl were hanging out together for lunch. “He is handsome, but no. It’s not him.”

“Really?” Megumi raised her eyebrow as she took another bite of Suzume’s boxed lunch. “I’m surprised… You’re both athletes.”

“That is true, but, uh…” The braided girl seemed to be thinking. “Let’s just say that he’s being watched over by Ebihara-san.”

“Oh, Ai? Yeah, I can tell that she’s… Possessive?”

“Mmm, difficult is more like it. But let’s forget about my class, Megumi-chan! There’s no one in there that I like, anyway.” Suzume grinned as she took another bite.

“Hmmm…” Megumi began to dig deeper. “Is it… someone from mine?”

“What?!” Suzume shot her a surprised look. “Oh no. Not Sasaki-san. Not Hanamura-san. None. No one in there is my type anyway.”

“Okay, okay,” Megumi backed off and she began to think again. “Hmm… Is it one of the third-years?”

“You’re finally getting somewhere,” Suzume nodded as she wore a smile.

“Yori-senpai?”

“Oh, him? Hmm, nah. I think he might like a certain kouhai anyway…” She giggled again. “He’s… actually from the student council. And, uh… He’s probably out of my reach.”

Megumi blinked at her friend. “Okay, I give up.”

“It’s actually the Student Council President,” Suzume’s smile began to appear wistful. “I heard that he likes to hit on pretty girls. You watch yourself, okay?”

“No worries,” Megumi waved her off. “I’m not interested in dating right now, anyway.”

“Really…? But aren’t you…? Oh, never mind!”

“Aren’t I what?”

“If you’re not listening to rumors, then you don’t need to know,” Suzume flashed her a teasing grin. “Anyway, we better hurry up and finish our lunch. I gotta deal with King Moron after this…”

Megumi became curious about Suzume’s crush and wondered what kind of person he was. Apparently, he was a major flirt. She even caught a rumor that he flattered even teachers and housewives in order to get out of trouble.

~*~

Out of pure coincidence, Junichi had Megumi relay something to the Student Council in his place later in the day. She was initially annoyed by this, but as soon as she walked into the Student Council room…

“Why, hello there.”

Megumi raised her head up and noticed a boy who gave off an aura of confidence. Aside from wearing his Yasogami uniform properly, he also sported the Student Council armband. His short blue-black hair was cut neatly, save for a few wisps. His dark brown eyes hid behind a pair of rimless glasses. Megumi would be lying to herself if she didn’t find him attractive right away.

“Uh… Hi. I’m here to deliver some papers for Sasaki,” She said lamely as she handed them to the attractive boy. He only chuckled a little as he graciously received them.

“You’re that transfer student from his class, right?”

“… Yeah.”

“Well, the guys in my class weren’t lying when they said that you’re quite a beauty yourself. I’d love to take you up to Okina City sometime for a date.“

/… _Wait, is he hitting on me?/_ “Uh…” Megumi began to produce a faint blush.

“How about it?” The boy asked as he got a little closer to her.

Megumi’s instincts kicked in as she backed off and shook her head. “No thanks. I’m good.”

The boy blinked for a moment, but he began to chuckle again. “I guess they weren’t kidding when they say that city girls like to play hard to get. Very well, I accept this challenge,” He then realized something. “Wow, my manners went out the door, didn’t it? I’m Masuhiko Kamiya, the Student Council President of Yasogami High.”

“Uh… I’m Megumi Ueno. Nice to meet you…”

“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Megumi-san. Let’s get to know each other better some other time,” He chuckled again. “Unfortunately, duty calls. You may want to leave this room for now… The rumors that we’re not very receptive to outsiders hold true.”

“… Sure thing,” Megumi blinked as she excused herself out of the room. / _Suzume wasn’t kidding when she says he’s a flirt…!/_

~*~

**Saturday, May 21st 2011**

 

“… Really now?”

Junichi looked over at Megumi with a weird look. It was the next day and Megumi chose to share some lunch with the class representative. Despite the odd meeting at first, the two have met up and worked together to help clean their classroom time to time. It was Megumi’s first time inviting him for lunch, which he did not object.

“Huh. You’re more popular here then I thought,” Junichi shrugged as he took a bite out of a fried egg.

“That’s weird,” Megumi said. “I never was that way back in the city.”

“Maybe it is because of that city charm that you have,” Junichi said. “Anyway, Kamiya-senpai likes to hit on almost anything that has tits and a nice pair of legs.”

“… That’s a rather bold statement, don’t you think?” The girl gave him a weird look in return. / _Wasn’t he a teacher’s pet?/_

Junichi shrugged again. “I’m just telling it like it is. Anyway, thanks again for helping me out. I got–” Suddenly, his phone began to ring. “Hang on, Ueno-san.” Junichi pulled out his phone and pressed a button on it. “What do you want now? ….. I already told you, I paid for her damn bill… What the hell else do you want from me? Do I look like I have time for this bullshit? ….. Fine. I don’t care, it’s his money. ….. Do whatever you want, you hag,” He then closed his phone in irritation.

Megumi blinked. This was a new side of him. “… You okay?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Junichi grunted.

“I never thought I’d hear you cuss like that…”

“I do… I just don’t do it around the teachers. Gotta maintain my image.” He then nodded. “I also trust that you won’t blab about what just happened, right? Then again, you don’t look like a snitch to me.”

Megumi could feel that Junichi, the land shark, was putting his trust in her. She nodded in agreement.

“Good to know,” Junichi nodded as he finished his lunch. “… That was my mom, by the way.”

“Huh?” Megumi looked up from eating a piece of fish cake from her lunch.

“You know how my nickname is ‘land shark’, right? Well… most of my family are made up of loan sharks. However… my mom and I have had a falling out for the last couple of years. Mostly fighting about money. She even turned my own sister against me.”

Megumi became silent. “… I’m sorry to hear that…”

“Eh, well,” Junichi shrugged once more as he handed the bento box to Megumi. “I got my own problems to worry about. Thanks for the lunch, Ueno-san. We should do this again.” He ended up grinning and walked off.

Megumi frowned. She wondered if Junichi really had his life together.

~*~

**Tuesday, May 24th 2011**

 

“Oh… That is sounding a lot better than last week, Megumi-san. Good job.”

Yori smiled as he spent some time after school helping Megumi with her music lessons. The gray-haired girl decided to try the trumpet since it was Yori’s instrument of choice. Despite the struggles she endured, the older boy was very patient with her.

However, she ended up on a flat note when she was trying to play a sample. “Ugh, I did it again…”

Yori’s smile did not falter. “It’s alright, really. We all do not become better students overnight by studying once. It is the same with music. We just keep trying again, for how many times we need to.”

Megumi’s frown didn’t fade. “But still… This is frustrating.”

“I can understand,” Yori nodded. “But have patience, okay? I know you can do it.”

Suddenly, Ayane walked into the music room. She seemed surprised to see the two still here.

“Oh, Yori-senpai and Megumi-senpai,” The short girl said. “I thought you went home…”

“Oh…” Yori blinked. “Is it that late…? We should help you clean up, Ayane-san.”

“Ah..! N-no, that’s okay… I can do it…” Ayane wasted no time as she began the clean-up.

Megumi blinked. This seemed to be a lot for one person, especially someone of Ayane’s stature, to be doing. “Let me help.” She began to pack up her trumpet and music sheets.

“I-it’s alright, Megumi-senpai…”

“Don’t worry, Ayane-san,” Yori said as he began to pack up too. “This is just as much as our responsibility.”

“Y-Yori-senpai… Thank you so much, you two…” Ayane almost looked like she was tearing up, but she held them back. In no time flat, they were done.

“… Do you two want to go to Aiya?” Yori asked.

Megumi and Ayane nodded and later on, the trio went down to the Chinese diner and ate some bowls of nikudon.

“This is really good…!” Megumi chirped as she scarfed her food down.

“Oh…” Yori paused. “You haven’t eaten here yet…? The food here is quite amazing… I’m afraid that Junes can’t hold a candle to this place. No offense to Hanamura-san, of course.”

Megumi began to giggle. “Should I relay that to him…?”

Yori began to chuckle as well. “No, that is not necessary. We’ll just keep it between the three of us.”

“M-me too…?” Ayane squeaked as she looked up from her bowl.

“Yes, you too, Ayane-san,” Yori smiled warmly. “I also trust Nakamura-san over there to keep quiet.”

Megumi looked and noticed that her classmate Aika Nakamura working hard as she served bowls and took back empty ones. “Wow, I didn’t know Aika worked here.”

“Oh… You didn’t know? Her family operates this restaurant. They even deliver as well, and Nakamura-san handles the deliveries.”

“Wow,” Megumi said. “I guess there’s still a lot of things here that I don’t know of yet.”

“Hmm, to be fair… I lived here for as long as I can remember, but even I am not completely familiar with all of Inaba.” Yori began to trail off his sentence and began to withdraw to himself.

Both of the girls looked at him with concerned looks. Megumi could’ve sworn that the expression Yori was wearing now was… sad?

“Hm?” Yori looked to the two and noticed the concern on their faces. “Oh… I’m sorry. I just kind of nodded off, I suppose. Well, as soon as you two are finished, I’ll escort you home.”

Megumi blinked. Was there something more to her senpai?

~*~

**Friday, May 27th 2011**

 

Megumi had barely worked any part-time jobs before. Because her parents were pretty generous with the allowances, she never saw the need to work. However, now that she was out in Inaba, she didn’t expect her uncle to give her the same treatment. In a way, even for her, the saying ‘you work for what you eat’ rings true.

She began by working for the day-care on the hill. Surprisingly, her patience held up well to the rambunctious kids. They’ve tugged at her from different directions and even asked personal questions. It also seemed that not too many high school students work here, with the exception of one particular student.

“Hey, Akari-nee-san! Can we play House?!”

“Of course we can! Who wouldn’t want to?! Hey, you! New girl! Come join us!”

“Wh- Huh? Me?” Megumi pointed at herself as she blinked.

“No, the other high schooler. Yes, you! C’mon!”

Megumi shrugged but complied. The girl that called her over had the looks of a city girl, with her curly hair dyed strawberry blonde held in a half ponytail. Her eyes appeared a dark green color, but upon closer inspection, the greenish tint came from the circle lenses she wore. She also had two sets of ear lobe piercings and her outfit consisted of a denim jacket with a pink and white t-shirt, a pleated black skirt and hot pink sneakers with loose socks. In a way, her appearance reminded Megumi of Marie.

At the end of the day, one of the children was waiting for his mother. While the spunky girl was tending to the other children, Megumi walked up to the young boy with brown hair.

“You’re, uh… Yuuta-kun, right?” The girl asked him. “Who’s coming to pick you up?”

The boy became silent for a moment, refusing to acknowledge her question. “I’m staying here!”

“… Huh?” Megumi raised an eyebrow in confusion. _/He sure is defiant…/_

“Oh, Yuu-kun!”

Both Megumi and Yuuta picked their heads up and noticed that the new voice belonged to an older woman approaching them. The boy became visibly disgusted as he stepped away.

“Please, Yuu-kun,” the woman frowned. “… Don’t be like that. I’m sorry that I was late...”

“… Whatever,” the boy grumbled as he took off past her. Megumi didn’t know what to do or say but watch this unfold.

The woman sighed deeply, but then noticed the perplexed look on the gray-haired girl’s face. “… I must apologize for Yuu-kun. You must be a new caretaker.”

“Oh, uh… Yes, I am.” Megumi said, still unsure of her words or how to address the situation. “My name’s Megumi Ueno. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, I see...” The woman began to smile weakly. “Thank you for taking care of him, Megumi-chan. I’m Eri Minami. It’s nice to meet you too… Well, I should go catch up with him now. It was nice seeing you...” Eri turned and began to walk away, but she did not carry any sense of urgency.

“Ah, I see that Yuuta-kun got picked up finally,” The spunky girl said as she approached Megumi. “Took his stepmom long enough, she shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

“… She’s his stepmother?” Megumi asked.

“Yep,” the girl replied. “Apparently her husband remarried not too long ago. He’s overseas now, so it’s just Yuuta-kun and his stepmom. But she always takes her sweet-ass time, I got places to go! There’s only so much time in a day!” She breathed in a bit before continuing. “Okay, wanna head over to Okina real quick? I need to unwind!”

“Uh… Sure,” Megumi said, slightly taken back by this weird girl.

“Sweet! Let’s go!”

~*~

When they arrived, Megumi stuck with her Yasogami uniform while the other girl stayed in her outfit.

“Bah! You’re gonna stay in your Yaso uniform? Lame!” The girl stuck out her tongue.

“Got a problem with it?” Megumi said as she leered at her.

“Mmm… Maybe?” The girl ended up grinning. “I actually go to Yaso, too. Wasn’t my choice, but… Whatever. Gotta go somewhere and deal with this crap, then college begins! It sucks that I have to wait a few more years for that…”

Megumi raised her eyebrow. “You’re a first-year?”

“Unfortunately,” The girl rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, the name’s Akari Kono. And you’re that second-year transfer student, right?”

“Yeah, I’m Megumi Ueno. Nice to meet you.”

“Uh… Same here! Sure,” Akari kept her cheshire cat grin. “Sometimes if I’m not doing cram school, I’ll be up at the daycare. Sometimes I prefer hanging out with kids than the ones at school. Or even teachers. Don’t get me started on Terajima.“

“Ah. Yeah, she can be a pain in the ass,” Megumi nodded.

Akari looked at her with glittery eyes. “A kindred spirit…!”

“A what?”

The blonde flashed a megawatt smile. “You’re my new best friend! I heard that they opened an arcade here in Okina! Let’s go kill shit and have fun!!”

“Uh… sure.”

“Aw, c’mon, Megumicchi! I’m not even gonna bother calling you ‘senpai’, so get use to it! Now brighten up and let’s go!”

Megumi wasn’t sure of what to make of the spunky Akari, but it certainly didn’t make the rest of the day dull and boring.

~*~

**Friday, May 31st 2011**

 

Sometimes, Megumi would think that she would have some sort of understanding about adults. They would either become mature after procuring their wisdom throughout the years or would just trudge through life as they needed for the responsibilities they hold. However, in the case of Tohru Adachi, he was another story.

Megumi began to see him regularly at Junes after school. He was the type that despite his jovial personality, he was actually a lonely man. Whenever she was doing her shopping, Adachi would tag along and openly complain about the struggles of being an adult.

“I’m telling you, Megumi-san,” Adachi sighed after venting about his job. “You should enjoy being young while you still can.”

Megumi gave him an odd look. “But I thought as you gain more responsibilities, you gain more freedom to do whatever you liked.”

“That would be true, if I actually had the time to enjoy the ‘freedom’,” The lanky detective frowned. “I rarely have time to even sit down and cook dinner for myself. I wouldn’t have time for anything else that I might want to do.”

“….. Maybe you need a different job?” Megumi suggested as she picked up some seasonings. As she looked over to the side, she was taken back by Adachi’s incredulous face.

“W-wait,” The man stuttered. “But this job actually pays pretty well… Though, I can see where you’re coming from… But that’s just how it is if you think about it. To survive as an adult, you need money.”

Before Megumi could speak up again, a familiar voice spoke up behind Adachi.

“Oh, Tohru-chan!”

As the lanky man choked out a startled yelp, he turned around and noticed an old woman smiling at him. Megumi recognized her as she was seen talking to him numerous times and every time the two would meet, Adachi wanted nothing to do with her.

“O-oh… Hi again...” Adachi forced a smile upon his weak visage.

“Tohru-chan, are you out shopping for dinner tonight?” The woman asked earnestly.

“N-not really...”

“Oh?” The woman’s eyebrows raised up. “Then why don’t you come to my home? I’ll be making nimono tonight.”

Adachi’s face began to scrunch up, but he feebly attempted to play it off. “Uh… N-no thanks, not tonight...” He looked around and then remembered that Megumi was nearby. “… I-in fact, I’m helping my boss’ niece here with shopping!”

Megumi shot the lanky detective with an annoyed look. /What the…?!/

“Oh… I see,” The woman smiled again. “Well, as long as you’re taking good care of yourself, Tohru-chan. Have a good evening.” She then walked off at a slow pace.

Adachi barely had time to sigh in relief before he noticed that Megumi was still giving him an annoyed look. “What?”

“Why don’t you tell her the truth?” The girl asked before sighing. “I don’t like being used like that. At least warn me next time.”

The detective groaned in irritation. “Your uncle chews me out on a daily basis, I don’t need his niece to do the same thing.”

Megumi stopped herself and blinked. Was that Adachi just now? Did he snap at her like that? “Uh… Sorry…?”

“… Forget about it,” Adachi rubbed his temple. “I don’t think we should be making a scene, or I’ll never hear the end of it from Dojima-san. S-see ya.” He attempted a feeble smile before walking off in the opposite direction.

Megumi began to frown as she tried to process what had transpired. Was there more to the man than he led on? And why did this make her uneasy?

~*~

**Saturday, June 4th 2011**

 

The beginning of June rolled in, and thus the weather forecast had shown that it’ll finally rain. Megumi took this as a cue that it would fog later in the night.

Sure enough, the fog did set in. Megumi’s TV buzzed on at midnight and it did not show anyone, as Kanji had been rescued earlier. The girl wondered if this would be the last time the killer would do this since he had been thwarted twice. Only time would tell, but the case was far from over.

Now that she thought about it, they would switch to summer uniforms. Wearing the tights and shorts would be too suffocating, as she learned the hard way from the first year she wore this set. Sighing, she decided to take a cue from Chie and just sport the shorts underneath and wear black knee-high socks instead of white. The teachers, more so King Moron and Terajima, shouldn’t give her too much crap for changing up her uniform a bit. At least her hair in the circular tails style would stay off her neck when the summer gets really rough.

As Megumi began getting ready for bed, a lot of questions ran through her head. Were her friends okay? How had Teddie been doing in his search for himself? Would Kanji ever return to school? Would the killer strike again?

In order to slow down her mind, she listened to the ever-reliable chorus of crickets chirping into the night. To her, honestly, this would be one of the things she would miss when she comes back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I am Thou... Thou art I...  
> Thou hast acquired a new bond...  
> It shall bring thee closer to the Truth...
> 
> Thou shall be blessed with the Hanged Man, Devil, Temperance, and the Tower Arcanas..."


	15. Chapter 14: Solar Angels

**Monday, June 6th 2011**

 

“H-hi there!”

After school rolled in and Kanji had made his recovery and began to attend school once again. He asked to meet with Megumi and the others on the roof top. To their surprise, he began to act much more friendly towards them.

Chie began to giggle. “Where are the manners coming from?”

“Uh, well…” Kanji began to feel a little embarrassed. “I just found out that you guys are my senpai, so… But, yeah, I want to thank you guys for what you did. I can’t really remember what happened, though…”

“So, the first thing we wanna ask about is that boy with the blue hat,” Chie said. “Do you know who he is?”

“Blue hat…?” Kanji then recalled the short boy he met up a couple times. “Oh, him! Actually, I don’t know who he is… He just said he was interested in me and that’s when my brain was just kinda going all over the place. Next thing I know, I blurted out that I wanted to see him again. Although… I still don’t get it myself… I tend to be more comfortable around guys…”

“But how’re you doing now?” Megumi asked.

“I’m fine now,” Kanji smiled. “In the end, it’s just all in my head. I was the one shutting others out.”

“Otherwise, you’d wouldn’t be able to talk to us, right?” Megumi furthered the question.

“Pretty much,” The tall boy nodded. “So uh… My family runs a textile shop, but you already knew that.”

Kanji began to talk about his parents and the shop they ran and his hobbies, which included sewing. Megumi, in particular, became invested in the conversation. Ever since she saw the bunny strap, an intense desire to see more of his creations sparked. She hoped to ask him the next time she caught him alone.

“I guess I wasn’t afraid of girls, after all… It’s more like being scared of people. But that’s all behind me now.”

“That’s good to hear,” Yukiko smiled.

“Sorry to change the subject,” Yosuke spoke up. “But do you remember anything after you ran into us the second time? Y’know, after you chased us and Megumi stopped you?”

“O-oh yeah…” Kanji scratched the back of his head. “I was real surprised when she did that. She didn’t even put me down, she was just tryin' to warn me… H-has anyone ever told you that you’re cool, Megumi-senpai?”

“Uh…” Megumi had to think of that. “Maybe a few times?”

“Let’s get back on track,” Yosuke said as he tried to steer the conversation back to the investigation.

“Right…” Kanji said. “Uh, anyway… I went home and I was gonna sleep it off in my room… Until… Someone came to my house…”

The Team gasped collectively. “Who was it?!” Yosuke asked quickly.

“Uh, well… It was just a feeling that I had… I actually don’t know if anyone came…” Kanji said as he tried to rattle his brain. As Yosuke and Chie became impatient with the younger boy, he continued. “Though, I remember some weird, dark entrance thing… And when I woke up, I was laid out on the floor of that sauna place.”

“A dark entrance…” Yukiko echoed Kanji’s words as she tried to think back. “… Could it be a TV?”

“….. Now that you mentioned it, maybe so…” Kanji said. “But I had the cops interview me since my mom reported me missing. I told them the same story and they just looked at me like I’m crazy. But since you guys are asking me this… Are you all playing detective or something?”

“Um, something like that,” Chie said as she nodded.

“Anything I can do to help?” Kanji asked. “If there’s some prick out there that threw me into that place, I ain’t gonna rest until I make ‘em pay.”

“Seriously?!” Yosuke seemed excited about this. “I’m all on board with you joining us! Don’t you think so, Partner?”

Megumi nodded. One didn’t need to ask her twice. “Of course. Welcome to the team, Kanji!”

“Thank you, ma’am!” Kanji grinned as he flexed his arm. “I’ll do my best!”

From here on out, Kanji Tatsumi joined the Investigation Team. With him on their side, he would be a strong asset to help solve the case. Soon after, he was introduced to the special headquarters and to the TV world. Teddie had provided him with his own glasses, although Yukiko’s mischievous side took advantage of Kanji, much to his irritation.

Megumi smiled about the fact that their little team was growing a little bigger.

~*~

**Tuesday, June 7th 2011**

 

Life continued its temporary peace, as the Team kept an eye for rainy nights. There was no telling who may end up on the Midnight Channel next. In the meantime, Megumi continued her routine. She had made quite a number of friends in this school, even those that may have been considered ‘unapproachable’ such as Kanji, Junichi, and Akari. Even Masuhiko took an interest in her and had talked her into spending a little time with him, despite his perverted nature.

Yosuke himself began to wonder just how his partner managed to make time for all her friends and club activities on top of solving the case. This also included the times they spent together. Although as of late, people seem to have ragged on him persistently for various reasons. It was those very reasons that he feared that Megumi’s own reputation might become soiled by association.

However, the girl tried to reassure her friend that it wouldn’t matter what other people would say about her and who she hung out with. As much as he wanted to trust her words, Yosuke was still unsure.

It was one day after school that the boy needed her help. His father decided to put out a sale at the last minute and had begged his son to find some helpers. The closest person he could think of was Megumi, although he wouldn’t think she would take up his offer. The priceless look on his face said otherwise.

After they were done stocking shelves, Megumi was compensated for her work. She and Yosuke went to the food court where he treated her to a snack. She began to notice that he had been doing this whenever they had time to hang out lately.

“Thanks, Megumi! And sorry about having to ask you…” The headphone-clad boy sighed to himself.

She only shook her head and smiled. “It’s alright, thanks for asking me.”

“You’re pretty awesome, if not bossy,” Yosuke said in an amused tone and began to laugh after seeing Megumi puff up her cheeks. “Say… Um…”

“Hm?” Megumi tilted her head to the side after she simmered down.

“Hey! Hanamura!!”

Both teenagers looked up and saw a couple of girls walking up towards Yosuke. Megumi recognized them from before, as they were part-time workers who were very lazy and were generally awful people. She had seen the way they yell at the poor boy for things such as days off and raises. After Yosuke talked to them, they walked away and began to gossip very loudly.

“You mean, I should do compensated dating like Saki did?”

Both Megumi and Yosuke looked up at the very mention of that name. The boy began to bite his lip but he kept quiet. The girls continued to badmouth Saki until…

“Well, you notice the girl with the weird hairstyle over there?”

“You mean her? The gray hair with Hanamura right now?”

“Yeah. I’ve heard that she gets a lot of money by being paid to go on dates.”

Megumi could feel her eye twitch. / _What the hell, I’m sitting over here!/_

“Hahaha, so what is she even doing with Hanamura? Is she trying to butter him up so she can work part-time here too? Just so she can bat her eyelashes and get all kinds of special treatment?”

“That sounds pretty much like what Saki would do.”

Before Megumi’s anger could reach a boiling point, a surprise came to her in form of Yosuke slamming his hands onto the table and standing up.

“Hey, you two!!” The boy shouted to the girls, who stopped talking out of the shock of being yelled at by him. “If you got something to say to Megumi, she’s just right over here! And you don’t know anything about Saki-senpai either!”

“Wh-what the…?! Who do you think you are, Hanamura?!” One of the girls yelled at him. “Don’t you know that Saki hated you? You’ve always given her special treatment over the rest of us!”

“Don’t try to act all tough!” The other girl shouted. “Hell, I bet that girl over there isn’t even interested in you! I heard she’s got a boyfr–”

Megumi finally had enough of their slander and stood up. “You don’t know jack shit! Quit running your damn mouth!”

“Who the hell asked you?!”

“That’s enough!” Yosuke thundered. “I know that Saki-senpai hated me, but so what? She did a better job then you two ever did! She actually worked hard and minded her own business! Just leave us the hell alone!”

A tense silence followed. The two girls ended up leaving the food court as both teenagers sat back down and took deep breaths.

“….. Thank you, Yosuke…”

The boy looked up at Megumi. “H-huh? For what…?”

A small smile began to spread across her lips. “For standing up for me. You’re a very nice guy.”

The boy blinked for a moment as a blush began to form. “U-Um… I-I gotta thank you too, Megumi. I just… blurted out a bunch of crap. Sorry that you had to be involved in this…”

“No, no… You were upset. Rightfully so too.”

Yosuke sighed to himself again. “… It’s too bad they’re gonna spread rumors about you.”

Megumi shrugged. “I can handle it. It’s too bad that violence is frowned upon, or else I’d have target practice. You should see my aim with a tennis racket.” She ended up smiling as she attempted to make a joke.

Yosuke began to chuckle, although it sounded hollow. “… Yeah, I’d bet you give them a run for their money. Anyway…” He rose up from his chair. “Those two are gonna quit at this rate. I’m gonna have to talk to Dad and apologize… Sorry that I can’t walk you home.”

Megumi waved her hand off. “It’s alright, I gotta go pick up stuff to make dinner anyway. See you tomorrow?”

Yosuke nodded and gave her a weak smile before walking off. As Megumi shopped around, she began to wonder. Just how far along was he in his grieving? She figured that even although Saki had different thoughts of him when she was alive, his feelings for her still lingered. Could time even heal such a wound as that?

~*~

**Wednesday, June 8th 2011**

 

Megumi did not have tennis practice one day, but she had asked Chie to keep her company in the empty court. She needed to vent as she uses the wall to practice her shots.

“So you’re telling me that some third-years started some rumor about you?!” The short-haired girl appeared shocked as she watched Megumi pouring her focus onto the wall.

“All because I yelled at them! They shouldn’t have run their mouth when I was clearly within earshot!”

“That’s true… but is it also true that Yosuke stood up for you?”

“Mmhmm!” Megumi stopped as she missed a return. “I don’t get why people have to treat each other horribly, especially since something happens beyond one’s control.”

Chie frowned. “I guess it’s just how people are, even when they unintentionally hurt each other. I learned that the hard way when I had to confront the other ‘me’.”

“Hmm,” Megumi hummed as she began to serve to the wall again. “But it’s different now, right?”

Her friend had to think for a moment. “Haha, you’re right. Do you remember when Takeshi-kun stopped by a while ago?”

Megumi nodded. The nosy kid in question was an old schoolmate of Chie’s and Yukiko’s.

“Well, he was right in one way. I’ve always wanted to protect someone. Up until now, it was just Yukiko. Now… there’s a lot more. Like you, for instance.”

“Really…?”

“Of course!” Chie grinned. “I was actually talking to Yukiko about it, but we’ve noticed that you’re kinda hard to track down when we’re not busy trying to save people inside the TV. You have a lot of friends, you’re in tennis and you work part-time. How do you manage all that?”

Megumi began to lose her focus and she missed another return. She had to think on this. How did that happen? She was nowhere this busy in her life last year.

“… Maybe I’m just that irresistible?”

Chie began to chortle. “Well, you’re one of a kind, that’s for certain! Just like Marie-chan.”

Megumi’s face began to sour. “Sure… If I have half the attitude she has.”

“But you can’t deny that the two of you have some form of connection. Maybe it’s fate.” Chie began to laugh harder.

_/If this is God’s way of telling me that connection is fateful, then he has a horrible sense of humor./_

Megumi threw a tennis ball at Chie, whom the latter dodged with great accuracy.

“Damn it, I missed!”

“You’re gonna have to try harder than that, Megumi-chan!”

~*~

**Thursday, June 9th 2011**

 

“Oh wow, is that how it is cooked? I see…”

Megumi was invited by Yukiko one day to go shopping with her in Junes. Since Megumi had basic knowledge of cooking, the raven-haired girl has enlisted her help with learning. However, when she tried to put it into practice, it would still end up horrible.

“Are you sure you’ve been following the directions, Yukiko?” Megumi asked.

“Y-yes, I’m sure,” Yukiko pouted, but her friend somehow doubted that. “Every time I’ve tried to practice, the head chef would end up taking over… He would be all ‘I can’t watch this anymore!’ and take the knife away from me…”

“That’s kinda rough,” Megumi frowned. “Have you thought about asking the cooks for guidance?”

“About that…”

_/Oh no. Not that tone./_

“The thing is… The one time I did ask for something like that, it ended up turning into an ‘I’m cooking something for a boy’ scenario… And then my parents got involved…”

“Oh,” The gray-haired girl blinked. “And it all went downhill from there.”

Yukiko giggled. “Exactly.” She then sighed. “But even when I told the cooks that I want to practice and be left alone, they still watched me. Why is that…?”

"Maybe it’s because they care about you,” Megumi suggested. Her friend wore a surprised look.

“They… do? You think so?”

“I mean, yeah… If you accidentally started a fire, then it’d be real bad news.”

Yukiko began to pout again. “That… is true. Becoming independent is a lot more difficult then I’d imagine…”

“It’s not something we were all born with, that’s for sure,” Megumi nodded as she grabbed a container of pudding for Nanako. “We just learn as we go.”

“Mmm,” Yukiko nodded to that sentiment. “You’re right. That would mean that even I’m not that hopeless.” She ended up smiling.

“That’s the spirit,” Megumi nodded. “Just keep practicing and do not be afraid to ask for help.”

“Okay,” The raven-haired girl nodded again. “Hmm… But if I were to cook for a boy, who would I cook for…?”

Megumi had to think on that. But then again, would there be any boy worthy of the Amagi Challenge? ….. Probably not.

~*~

**Friday, June 10th 2011**

 

“Uhm, Megumi-senpai? C-could I ask a favor?”

“Uh, sure, what’s up, Ayane?”

It was after school and Megumi decided to attend band practice. Thanks to Yori’s guidance, she had improved somewhat. However, Ayane was visibly struggling with her trombone. Now that the other trombone player was unable to perform with the band later this year, the role fell on to Ayane’s lap. Despite the encouragement given to her by both Megumi and Yori, the small first-year found herself unable to break out of this seemingly indestructible shell that she found herself in.

“Uhm...” Ayane fidgeted on the spot as she tried to formulate words in her head. “I’m sorry that I’m bothering you and Yori-senpai is not here, but… Um…”

Megumi looked up at the clock. It was getting closer to the time where the school gate will lock up for the rest of the day. Judging by the look on Ayane’s face, she wanted more time to practice. “Are you saying that you want to continue to practice today?”

“Well… Yes, but...” Ayane frowned. “We’ll have to go soon… And it’d be embarrassing if I continue outside...”

“Hmm,” An idea began to formulate in the gray-haired girl’s mind. She could relate to her kouhai’s predicament in practicing by herself, as she was still lacking in skill with the trumpet. But if the two were to train together, this would possibly mitigate the awkwardness that would follow. “Alright! Let’s pack up and head out to the floodplain. We’ll finish up there.”

“Huh…?” Ayane was initially bewildered but quickly warmed up to the idea. “O-okay, Senpai! Thank you very much!”

Not long after the two left Yasogami High, they walked down to the Samegawa Riverbed and resumed their practice. Thankfully for them, there was barely any people passing by. Megumi played her trumpet with some passion as she tried more advanced techniques. Ayane, however, was hitting the wrong notes consistently. She stopped her practice and sighed loudly.

Megumi noticed this and lowered her trumpet. “Something wrong?”

“I still cannot get these notes down...” The short girl lamented, but then she noticed that Megumi had stopped playing for a moment. “O-oh! I’m sorry, Senpai! I’m keeping you from your practice...”

The gray-haired girl shrugged. “It’s alright. You got a bigger role than I do.”

“Yes, you’re right...” Then Ayane began to smile as her cheeks flushed in slight embarrassment. “Thank you for practicing with me out here. I got a lot of catching up to do… I don’t want to let anyone down. Uhm, c-can we do this more often? I know you’re really busy, but...”

Megumi knew that she would have difficulty in finding some time for Ayane, especially since the murder investigation was still in progress. But, she was determined to help her friend.

“Yeah. I’ll try my best.”

~*~

**Saturday, June 11th 2011**

 

Megumi held no strong opinions whenever it came to children. The one consistent thought was that she could never see herself as a mother. Would the life she lead now keep her busy? Would her life end up similar to that of her parents? She would not wish this kind of situation upon anyone if that life would mean ignoring the children they had brought in to this world.

However, she could not find in her heart to fault Eri, the stepmother of Yuuta Minami. Megumi had come to learn of this woman as she attended her job. She was a stay-at-home mother, had only been married for six months, and her husband was sent overseas for work. In their own house, it was just her and Yuuta.

After another day of working as a caregiver, Eri once again arrived to take Yuuta home. However, the young boy was as stubborn as ever as he glued himself to Megumi’s side.

“I told you not to worry about me!” Yuuta shouted. “I wanna stay here and play!” Once again, he ran off in the distance to play with Akari and a few other children who were with her.

Eri sighed as she looked away in sadness. “I apologize, Megumi-chan… I don’t know what to do with Yuu-kun anymore...”

Megumi began to frown as she held some degree of sympathy for Eri’s growing frustration. “Do you have any regrets when you remarried?”

The older woman looked up in slight surprise as she soaked in the teenager’s question. She appeared to be formulating an answer for a moment before speaking up again. “No… Absolutely not. However… I actually did not know about Yuu-kun until the very last minute before his father and I got married. In a way, he set me up. But I honestly thought that he was the one for me, so I’d figured that the three of us would work out.”

Megumi couldn’t say that she wasn’t surprised to hear this from Eri. To rush into something like that… Yuuta was not prepared for Eri to come into his life so soon. “I… feel sorry for Yuu-kun...”

“I do as well,” Eri admitted while smiling with sad eyes. “His father does keep in touch with us, but… It doesn’t change the fact that he is not here. And Yuu-kun misses his father terribly…”

Suddenly, Yuuta was seen running past Megumi and Eri. He shouted to one of the kids, “I’ll race you to my house!” This prompted said kid to chase after him. Akari showed up not long after.

“Ah… I guess I should head home. Thank you for listening to me, Megumi-chan...” Eri then turned on her heel and began to walk away.

Akari grumbled as she watched the older woman walk away. “How long is she gonna be mopey about all this? All she ever does is bitch to you anymore.”

Megumi frowned at her friend’s choice of words. “She can’t help it, she’s just as lonely as Yuu-kun.”

“Well, she needs to do something soon. I’m also getting tired of Yuu-kun’s mood swings, especially since they involve her.” The blonde girl sighed irritably. “But whatever… not like it matters.”

The gray-haired girl looked over to her friend. “What do you mean?”

“…..” Akari was unusually silent. “… Oh!” The girl seemed to realize that her mask had slipped. “Don’t worry about me, Megumicchi. I’m just dealing with the hard life and tribulations of being a high school student, that’s all. Sometimes, you just need to suck it up and deal with life, that’s all.”

“… Right...” Megumi said in a slightly sarcastic tone. She was worried about Eri and Yuuta, sure, but what was Akari’s damage? She couldn’t be that stressed out… Right?

~*~

**Monday, June 13th 2011**

  
  
Megumi began to leave the school after the day was over. However, she stopped in her tracks when a realization hit her.

“… Crap! I forgot my notes!”

She ran back into the school as fast as she could. By the time she reached her class, she saw Yosuke talking about something with Kanji. The two noticed her the moment she ran in.

“Megumi-senpai, you alright? You look out of breath,” Kanji spoke up.

“Y-yeah… Yosuke, you still got my notes…?” Megumi asked as she tried to breathe normally.

“Huh? What notes?” The boy blinked at her, which prompted the girl to give him a deadpan look. “… Oh! Yeah, they’re here. You’re a real lifesaver!” He grinned as he began to dig into his bag for them.

“So anyway, Senpai,” Kanji spoke up again. “About this ‘up close–”

Yosuke became flustered and glanced at the taller boy. “Shut up! I trusted you not to go talking about it out loud!”

Megumi raised an eyebrow. “What kind of hair-brained idea have you cooked up now?”

“Nothing!” The headphone-clad boy said really fast. “It’s nothing. Kanji’s just blowing hot air.”

“Er… Y-yeah! I’m just pulling shit out of my ass!” Kanji said in a feeble attempt to back up his senpai.

“Uh… Okay…?” Megumi’s eyebrow did not budge.

Yosuke finally produced the notes and gave them to her in a hurry. “W-well, I gotta go home and study! Thanks again, Megumi! See ya!” He quickly rushed to the door.

“…..” Megumi looked at Kanji. “Is he really going to study?”

“Yep!” He said with a straight face. “I need to get going too. Later.” He then left the classroom as well.

The girl shook her head. “I don’t get boys sometimes.” As she placed the notes inside of her bag, she then noticed some sort of manual left behind by Yosuke. It appeared to be a manual for obtaining a license for driving two-wheeled vehicles. Megumi began to wonder if Yosuke was trying to obtain a license so he could drive a scooter.

/… _But why? Why does he want to drive one for?/_

She thought about calling the boy so she could return it, but then an idea began to formulate. She might appreciate Inaba for its own rural charm, but deep down, she knew that she was a city girl at heart. If she managed to get her own license and her own scooter, she would be able to travel a little further out. Either that or Akari’s rebellious nature was beginning to rub onto her.

Regardless, she decided to take the manual home so she could study it. But there was one major obstacle: her uncle.

Later in the night when she returned home, she talked to him about obtaining a scooter. Dojima, however, wasn’t sure as he was rightly concerned for Megumi’s safety. However, Adachi was here as well and managed to talk the detective into letting her go get one. She was only sixteen after all.

Before leaving to go back to the police station, Dojima asked her if anyone talked her into it. Since she had an honest answer for once, she said no. Her uncle did express his concern once again, especially since the two had been bonding and he was slowly seeing her as a second daughter. In the end, he conceded but only if she had obtained the license needed to operate a scooter.

When Megumi began getting ready to study, she recalled that Adachi mentioned a ‘suspicious person’. Sometimes that guy had a tendency to blab on to the point of her uncle’s irritation, but there was no way to find out more about it. She decided to let it go for now and focus on the manual.

~*~

**Tuesday, June 14th 2011**

 

The next day of school rolled in and Yosuke noticed Megumi up ahead.

“Mornin’…” The boy yawned loudly.

“Morning, Yosuke. You alright…?” The girl looked at him. He appeared to have been staying up all night.

“Yeah… I’ve just been studying all night.”

“… That’s kinda hard to believe,” She began to giggle. He shot her a disbelieving look.

“That’s a little harsh, don’t you think? But yeah, I gotta go somewhere after school.” He yawned again.

“Ahhh… Yeah, me too.” She nodded sagely.

~*~

By the time after school rolled in, Megumi boarded the same bus as Yosuke did to go to the exam site. The boy became leery of the girl’s presence until the both of them had reached the same place.

“… Okay, why’re you following me around?” Yosuke finally asked her.

“It’s kinda obvious, isn’t it?” Megumi said nonplussed as she pulled out the manual from her bag.

He began to stammer. “How..?! Why do you…?!”

Megumi began to smile a bit. “Well, maybe I kinda want to explore Inaba a bit more. It’d be hard if I just walked. Anyway, since we’re both here for the same thing, let’s do our best.” She began to walk ahead of him.

To Yosuke, his partner was impossible sometimes. Sometimes endearing, sometimes intimidating, sometimes just impossible.

~*~

Megumi handled the exam with ease and had passed it. She was rewarded her own license, as did Yosuke. He was surprised about the easiness of the exam itself, but he felt pride for both himself and her. It wasn’t like he talked her into it, anyway.

Over at Moel, they noticed Dojima filling up his car. Upon greeting him, he asked where the two went.

“Uncle, Uncle, check it out!” Megumi was all smiles when she showed off her license.

“So you did pass the exam… That was quick,” Dojima shot a glance at Yosuke and then back at Megumi. “Well… The only other thing I can think of is to convince your mother. You know she would throw a fit.”

“Hehe… Yeah. She would,” Megumi nodded as she chuckled nervously, but the smile returned on her face. “Thank you, Uncle.”

“Heh…” Dojima rubbed the back of his neck. “I will admit that your enthusiasm is catching on.” He then looked at Yosuke. “I’m pretty sure you already know this, but you’re not allowed to have Megumi ride with you. I better not catch you doing something stupid either. Got it?”

“Erk, y-yes sir!” Yosuke said as he began to chuckle nervously. “Well, I’m gonna get going. I can’t wait to tear into the catalog…!” He bid his friend and her uncle a farewell before running off.

Dojima sighed. “… Are you absolutely sure that no one talked you into it? Not even the Hanamura kid?”

Megumi shot her uncle a weird look and shook her head. “No… Why?”

The detective smiled wryly. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted you to ride behind him. He wouldn’t be able to do that anyway on a scooter.”

The girl blinked. / _Why would he… Oh. No wonder he was so anxious./_

“Mind if I borrow you for a sec before you return home, Megumi?” Dojima asked. He then turned his head. “Hey, Adachi!”

“Coming right up, sir! I just finished filling it up!”

When he finished, Adachi rolled in the scooter that Megumi had seen by the house. It was a white model that was slightly older, but it still looked nice.

“This is my scooter,“ Dojima explained. "I just got it fixed at the shop. It’s an older model, but it still runs well. I came to put gas into it, but I wasn’t expecting to hand it over as well…”

Megumi’s eyes widened in surprise. “… R-really?!”

“Really,” He chuckled. “I’m letting you have it. It’s not as girly as you might like, but it’ll still run.”

“That is a nice bike… Thank you so much!” Megumi ran over and hugged her uncle out of happiness.

“Whoa! Easy there!” He laughed as he patted her shoulder. “But you can tell, can you? The local shops do not carry any twist grips, so I had one of the repair guys help me out with it in secret. Just… don’t tell anyone that, okay?”

Adachi couldn’t help but chuckle himself. “You’re so strict at the station, but you’re a cool dad inside, aren’t you?”

“Shut up, Adachi,” Dojima grumbled. “Get in the car. We’ll be heading back soon.”

The lanky detective sighed. “Yes, sir…”

“Anyway,” He turned back to his niece. “I guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. I actually took my scooter license exam at your age too. When my dad caught me riding out, he gave me a good thrashing. … Don’t tell Nanako about that, okay?”

Megumi giggled. “It’ll be our secret.”

“I’ll keep you to that,” Dojima smirked. “I won’t bug you about traffic laws since I already gave you the okay. The only major thing I do want you to keep in mind is that you drive safely. You do that, and I’ll look the other way if you do decide to ride it out of town. Can you promise me that?”

The gray-haired girl nodded earnestly. “I promise.”

“Good, because I’m holding you to that.”

For the remainder of the day with what sunlight was left, Megumi had a lot of fun driving around the neighborhood. If her parents were to find out, they would probably kill her first before her uncle. It was times like these that she was grateful for the little freedom she had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I am Thou... Thou art I...  
> Thou hast acquired a new bond...  
> It shall bring thee closer to the Truth...
> 
> Thou shall be blessed with the Emperor Arcana..."
> 
> Funfact: I could've written this in the story, but I consider the following to be a mini-omake of sorts.
> 
> During her drive around town, Megumi would stop by Yosuke's house. She'd get his attention and once he sees her, she'll do the akanbe, or what's known in TV Tropes as the 'eyelid pull taunt' before driving off. :]
> 
> If you don't know what that trope is, then you haven't watched enough anime. lol


	16. Chapter 15: Singing the Camp Blues

It was the middle of the night, as Megumi tried to sleep in the tent with her friends Chie and Yukiko. She then heard someone roll over on the other side of the tent and beyond a line of bags. She forgot that Yosuke was there too. They went to the school camping trip and it was… eventful.

/… _How did it come to this…?/_

~*~

**Thursday, June 16th 2011  
The Day Before the School Camping Trip…**

 

“Oh yeah, the camping trip,” Megumi said as she recalled her teachers talking about it all last week. She and her friends Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko went out shopping at Junes for some groceries. “So… explain to me again what we’re doing?”

“Oh, that’s right, it’ll be the first time for you and Yosuke,” Chie said. “Well, in the afternoon, we get to ‘show our love for the town’ by picking up trash off the mountain.”

“Blah! Seriously?!” Yosuke stuck out his tongue in disgust. “’Love for the town’ my ass!”

“Will you chill out?” Chie rolled her eyes. “There’s some fun stuff later on. We get to cook our own meals and sleep in tents!”

“Speaking of that, what should we cook for dinner?” Yukiko asked. “I was debating between ramen and curry.”

Megumi thought on it. “How about curry? It’s practically a national food.”

“Great idea!” Yukiko smiled.

“Yeah, I like that idea too,” Chie grinned.

“Ohhh sweet! With at least the two of you cooking it, it’s gonna be awesome!” Yosuke grinned as well. “I just hope the two would be Megumi and Yukiko.”

The short-haired girl glared at him. “Watch it! I can cook too!” His disgusted face proved otherwise.

“Anyway,” Megumi changed the subject. “You also mentioned tents too. And we’re in a group, right?”

Yosuke then realized something. “D-does that mean that we get to sleep in the same tent…?!”

“You wish!” Chie shouted at the boy. “Guys sleep in their own tents! Same for the girls! And let me warn you right now, if you get caught outside of your tent, you will be expelled right on the spot!”

“Ugh,” Yosuke grumbled as the sour look on his face returned. “This blows!”

“That reminds me,” Yukiko spoke up after looking at some onions. “Didn’t we also go swimming in the river last year?”

“Yep!” Chie said as she grinned. “It was a lot of fun! It’s not part of the itinerary, but there’s always at least one person going, so I don’t see why not.”

Yosuke suddenly developed an idea. “H-hey! I just remembered something! Sorry, be right back!” He then dashed off.

“Hey! We’re not done yet!” Chie grumbled.

Megumi shrugged. “Well, he did say that he’s leaving it on our hands. So I guess that whatever we feed him, he’ll eat it.”

“Yeah, that is true,” Chie nodded and the three decide to continue on without him.

“Oh, um, Megumi-chan?” Yukiko spoke up. “I was wondering if you would leave the curry to us.”

“… Huh? What brought this on?” Megumi asked. She had yet to believe that her friend’s cooking skills had been drastically improved in a short amount of time.

“You know how I’ve been practicing really hard and letting the chefs watch me? Well, they’ve been very supportive and I’m starting to feel confident,” The raven-haired girl smiled.

“Uh…” The gray-haired girl was unsure of this. If their meal turned out to be a bust, they could go hungry. She also knew that the mountains tend to have limited cell phone range, so they wouldn’t be able to order delivery. But at the same time, Megumi wanted to believe in Yukiko. How could she say no? If she did, it would probably leave a huge dent in her friend’s confidence. “… Sure! I believe in you two.”

“R-really?!” Chie smiled brightly.

“Thank you…!” Yukiko smiled as well. “I won’t disappoint you, Megumi-chan!”

Megumi giggled a little, but on the inside, she was terrified. / _I think I’m gonna have to make rations…/_

~*~

**Friday, June 17th 2011  
School Camping Trip, Day One…**

 

The day of the camping trip arrived and after everyone did their fair share of work, it was time to cook their meals. However...

“KYAAAAAAAH!!!!!”

“Yosuke!!”

“Ah!! H-hang on!”

Yosuke began to suffocate after eating a bite of the curry that Chie and Yukiko made. Megumi rushed over to the boy’s side and held him up.

“Y-you alright?! What’s wrong?!” The gray-haired girl asked in a panic.

“M-must… not… Must… not… eat…”

“Wha-? Huh?”

“Mosquitoes and worms? I didn’t put them in the curry,” Chie said as she and Megumi were confused by Yosuke’s words.

Yukiko began to giggle as she raised her hand to her mouth. “Oh, thank goodness…! I was afraid that something might have fallen in!”

Megumi sighed and held a glass of water to his lips. “Here, drink this.“ However, it barely helped the poor boy. She then gave the curry a side glance.

It appeared to have radiated some sort of aura that triggered her danger senses, which were finely honed inside the TV world. She also wanted to believe in her friend, but god damn it, Megumi was right to have her doubts about Yukiko’s cooking. Combined with Chie’s ineptitude and it just made it worse.

“… What exactly did you two put in the curry?” Megumi asked as she looked up at the girls.

“Um,” Yukiko could already tell that she did not like the tone of her voice. “Y-you were going to make it mild, right Chie?”

“Uh, yeah…” Chie blinked as she did not want to face the wrath of Megumi as well. “But you know what, Yosuke doesn’t have that mature taste that you probably have, Megumi-chan! If you don’t believe me, you should totally try some!”

“Oh, great idea! Why don’t you take a bite, Megumi-chan?” Yukiko asked as she simply smiled.

Megumi paused for a moment. “… What?”

“Y-you’d say that you would help taste my food…” The raven-haired girl said with her voice breaking.

/… _.. Oh dammit, I did./_

Suddenly, Megumi found her in a fight-or-flight situation with the mysterious yet terrifying curry. She gave her spoon a long stare but that wouldn't help her, especially with the duo of Yukiko and Chie looking at her. After taking a deep breath…

“Well, thanks for the food.”

As soon as Megumi took a bite, she found herself laying on her side and her vision blackening out. She could hear the cries of her friends in the distance. She also had sworn that she saw a glimpse of the Velvet Room.

‘Life is truth and never a dream… All souls know this from birth…’

_/No…! Not yet…! I can’t die yet!/_

“…gumi! Megumi!”

/… _Huh? Who’s calling me?/_

“Megumi-chaaaan!”

“Ueno-san, get yourself together!”

“Oh, I think Megumi-chan is coming to!”

Megumi slowly blinked her eyes. She could see her friends, which now included Suzume and Junichi, crowding around her.

“Megumi-chan, you alright? You passed out cold!” Suzume said as she helped her friend sit up and gave her some water.

Junichi looked over to the curry. “… What is that?”

“That’s suppose to be curry…” Chie said as she frowned.

“R-really?” Suzume said as she raised her eyebrows.

“Hell no, it’s not!” Yosuke began to complain. “Curry is supposed to be either really mild or really spicy! But that is just–!” He had to stop himself from getting sick.

“I… I guess we should’ve taste tested it…” Yukiko said as she looked down.

“Actually, I was afraid to…” Chie admitted.

Suzume chuckled nervously after Megumi came around. “W-well, I’d offer my share, but we ran out. Sorry!”

Yosuke recovered in time to shoot a pleading look to the land shark. “Sasaki, you don’t happen to–”

“Nope.”

“Ugh, figures.” The boy began to groan. “If only that was even somewhat edible… We’re the only ones without food!”

Megumi tried to make a noise, but she groaned in pain. She honestly felt like she was going to throw up.

“Uh-oh… Someone should help Megumi-chan to the first aid tent, she’s not looking good,” Suzume said as she frowned.

“Hmm… One of you better do it,” Junichi said. “She is part of your team, y’know.”

“Yeah, we better get back to our own teams. Get better soon!” Suzume said as she and Junichi retreated back to their own groups.

“….. I’ll do it,” Yosuke sighed. “I’m just gonna leave the, uh, Mystery Food X to you two.”

“We’re sorry…” Chie said as she looked at Megumi with concern.

“Sorry…” Yukiko also feebly apologized as she and Chie watched Yosuke take their friend away.

~*~

“Dammit, what’re they thinking?” Yosuke grumbled in annoyance as he looked at Megumi.

“….. Sorry…” The girl said weakly. “They wanted to make it, so I let them…”

The boy began to frown. “Well, I guess this wouldn’t be your fault. I mean, how can you say no to either of them? Then again, I’d think they would listen to you if you did…”

“… I just couldn’t,” Megumi admitted. She then noticed that they arrived at the first aid tent, and the student manning it was none other then Naoki.

“… Hanamura?” The first-year glared at him. “What do you–” He then noticed Megumi being held up and he shot up from his seat. “Is Megumi-san alright?”

Yosuke tried to swallow down the guilt out of talking to Saki’s brother. “Uh, she’s just not feeling well. She ate something pretty bad.”

Naoki’s stark expression began to soften as he has shown concern for the girl. “… Hang on a second.” He began to dig around for some stomach medicine.

Yosuke then looked at Megumi. “You guys talked before…?” The girl nodded in response. “I… didn’t know-”

“And what we talk about is none of your business,” Naoki spoke up as he handed the medicine jar and a bottle of water to Megumi herself.

“….. Thank you, Naoki,” The girl said as she went ahead and chased down a tablet with the water. When she handed the jar back to Naoki, he handled it delicately.

“Don’t push yourself, Megumi-san,” Naoki said. He then turned a hard gaze at Yosuke. “You better take care of her.”

Honestly, Naoki didn’t need to tell him twice. But with lingering guilt weighing down on his shoulders, Yosuke could only meekly nod. “Y-yeah…”

When Megumi began to regain her strength, she noticed that the boy was still holding onto her as the two walked back. “Uh… You can let me go, y’know…”

Yosuke didn’t hear her, however. His mind harbored a quiet storm. That storm was full of questions as well as the guilt. When did Megumi reach out to Naoki? When did they first talk? Since when did they start to hang out?

The girl blinked in confusion mixed with mild surprise. Normally, he would listen but something was on his mind. On a whim, she moved a little closer to the boy and gently blew into his ear.

“Yow!” Yosuke jumped up in surprise as he let go of her. “Wh-what was that for?!”

Megumi couldn’t help but roar with laughter. It made her stomach hurt, but it was worth it. “Y-you didn’t hear me…! I could’ve elbowed you, but this…!” She lost her words in the continuing fit.

The boy began to blush a bit. She had to do that a little closer than he’d expect. However, he knew first hand of how contagious her laughter was. He couldn’t help but join in too.

“A-anyway… Tell Kanji… Onigiri.”

“… What?”

“Just tell him that. He’ll know.”

~*~

**Deductive Reasoning Time!**

 

As Megumi’s classmates found out, the word ‘onigiri’ was a code word devised by Megumi herself and she had relayed it to Kanji. She had actually anticipated the possibility of the curry not being edible and thus had prepared rations for her and the team. However, the rations were only in forms of basic onigiri.

“Oh well,” Yosuke said as he took a massive bite into one. “Better than starving!”

“Now I seriously wished that you’d do the cooking,” Chie lamented.

“Well, Yukiko here has tried her best, so I basically gave her a benefit of a doubt,” Megumi said as she nibbled on her rice ball. She still felt nauseous, thus she ate slowly.

“Although we found a good remote spot, we don’t want to take too long,“ The short-haired girl commented. "We really don’t want to get busted by King Moron.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Megumi looked at Kanji. “Not that we don’t mind you here, but what’re you doing hanging out with us?”

“Aside from you inviting me?“ Kanji said as he finished a ball in two bites. "My teach threatened to hold me back a year if I didn’t show up. That and the first-years are all too quiet like someone died. And then there’s my classmate.”

“Who are you talking about?” Yukiko asked.

“Kono,” Kanji said with distaste in his mouth. “She’s so loud and obnoxious. She’s a crappy cook, too.”

“Oh, you’re talking about Akari, aren’t you?” Megumi said.

Kanji’s eyes widened. “You know her…?! Damn, Senpai. Just how many friends do you have out here?”

“Haha, I was asking the same thing,” Chie said with a smile. “First it was with Suzume-chan, then it was with the land shark, and now I heard that she’s friends with a couple of music club members and the Student Council President himself, Masuhiko-senpai.”

“….. Yeah, and she’s even friends with Saki’s little brother,” Yosuke lamely added.

Yukiko beamed to Megumi. “You must be very popular, Megumi-chan.”

Her? Popular? “Uh…” She could only giggle nervously. “A-anyway! Let’s get off the subject of my popularity! I was actually thinking something… Y’know how we all thought that the victims had one connection because they were women? Since Kanji himself became a victim, it totally threw that out the window.”

“Well, if you think about it, the only other connection that all the victims have is that they’re related to Ms. Yamano in some way or another,” Yukiko said, eager to talk about the cases.

“Hmmm… Then, maybe we’re overlooking something else?” Megumi suggested.

“We’ll just have to keep thinking,” Yosuke said. “That’s pretty much all we can do at this point.”

“Hey…” Kanji spoke up. “I remembered something. You remember the dude that the Yamano lady was seeing? Taro Namatame? He recently came back here to work in his family’s business as a deliveryman.”

“Well, he did get fired from his old position because his wife brought the affair to the public’s attention,” Chie said.

“Yeah, but he has a rock-solid alibi,” Yosuke added. “That and I seriously doubt that he would be able to carry out the murders himself.”

All of the teenagers were silent for a moment. Who else was there, then…?

Yukiko then had a thought. “Now that I think about it… Do you remember when the news of the affair broke out? It explicitly focused on Ms. Yamano herself. And when her body appeared, they interviewed Saki because she found it.”

“… Hey, wait,” Chie spoke up. “And then… you had that interview for that one report about the murders shortly after.” Her friend nodded.

“And then Kanji appeared in that special about the biker gang,” Yosuke said as he began to see the pieces falling into place.

“Oh yeah,” The tall boy nodded. “It wasn’t like what the media made it out to be, though.”

“… I see,” Megumi blinked. “Right before the victim disappears, they were on the news at least once. This kind of connection isn’t a mere coincidence.”

“Right,” Yosuke nodded. “So maybe the killer is targeting his victims based on what the news is showing. I think it’s a good idea that we start paying attention from here on out.”

“Yeah,” Megumi said as her eyes narrowed with determination. “We have to figure out who’s doing this so we can stop them. The sooner, the better.”

Her friends nodded in agreement. After they finished eating, they all split up upon hearing that it was now ‘lights out’.

~*~

**School Camping Trip, At Night…**

 

The trio of Megumi, Chie, and Yukiko took up residence in a tent. Despite the relative peacefulness inside, the three were unable to sleep.

“I wonder how Teddie’s doing,” Chie pondered out loud.

“He seemed to have a lot on his mind,” Yukiko said as she brushed Megumi’s unbound hair.

“It must be pretty lonely over there, too,” Megumi said. “He always seems elated whenever he sees us.”

“Until he says something weird,” The raven-haired girl frowned.

“….. Hm? Did you guys hear that…?”

Chie and Yukiko looked at Megumi with a curious look as the gray-haired girl tried to filter out a noise nearby. Aside from Hanako Ohtani’s loud snoring from another tent, she could hear a girl trying to suppress her giggles.

“Is that a ghost?” Yukiko asked as she became highly curious.

Chie, however, did not like that idea. “N-no way… Nu-uh…”

However, the giggles died down. “Oh, it stopped. Maybe it was an animal,” Megumi concluded as she relaxed.

“Oh, I know a good story,” Yukiko smiled as she was set on telling a tale.

“No, please, Yukiko, don’t,” Chie pleaded. “I won’t be able to sleep…!”

“H-hey…! You awake in there…?” A familiar voice whispered frantically. It sounded like it was right outside of their tent.

“W-who’s there?!” Chie raised her voice.

“Shhh!” Megumi shushed her friend. “Not so loud, Chie! I’ll go check.” She climbed over to the entrance and saw a familiar presence. “… Yosuke? What the heck are you doing over here?!”

“Wh-what, that’s Yosuke…?!” Chie began to feel her anger building.

“C-C’mon, Megumi! Let me in! Please! I can’t go back to my tent!” The boy begged.

“Are you crazy?! If King Moron finds you in here, we’re all gonna be expelled because of you!” Megumi hissed.

“Are thar any rotten ap-pels out thar…?”

All three girls froze. They could hear Morooka wandering about.

“C’mon…!” The poor boy was practically giving her puppy dog eyes at this point.

“…..” Megumi sighed heavily. “Goddammit… Alright, hurry up!” She then smuggled him inside. He scrambled to take a seat next to her.

“Wha- Megumi!” Chie shot her friend a look. Yukiko was a little unnerved to see him in the same tent.

“Do you want to be expelled?” Megumi gave her friend a deadpan look.

Chie only sighed in response. “So what the hell are you doing in here?” The short-haired girl said as she did not let up her glare at him.

“Well,” Yosuke sighed as he began to talk lamely. “A girl crashed into my tent.”

All three of the girls reacted with shock. Then they blinked a couple times at this surprise.

“H-hey! It wasn’t my idea!” The boy defended himself. “It was that Akari chick! Apparently, she was on a dare with her tent mates and…”

“… D-don’t trail off like that!” Chie made a sour face.

“I-It’s not what you think! It was Kanji’s fault! He got pissed off at me and he decided to go try to sleep in a girl’s tent! But then Akari was out of her’s and saw him. As soon as he ran back into my tent, she came in! That was when I had to retreat.”

“…..” Megumi groaned irritably. “What the hell is Akari thinking?”

“Why are you asking me? Aren’t you her friend?” Yosuke looked at her.

“Well, maybe she wouldn’t crash into your tent if you didn’t piss Kanji off in the first place.”

“Oh no, don’t you pin this on me. It’s not my fault that putz overreacted!”

“You said something really stupid, didn’t you? Something like ‘I don’t feel safe with you’ or something like that?”

“W-well, it was Kanji! How was I suppose to act?”

“I don’t know, not like a spaz?”

“Excuse me?!”

Before either Chie or Yukiko could break up the two, another familiar voice slurred loudly outside of the tent.

“Lissen up! Anyone dat is caught being indecent is ganna find out that et’s very different from being insolent!”

“Aw crap!” Chie scrambled for the light on the lantern. “He’s right outside…!”

“Shit…” Yosuke began to sweat. “Wh-what am I gonna do?!”

“…..” Megumi looked around quickly. Her eyes landed on the sleeping bag nearby. But that kind of plan…

There was no other choice.

“Under here, Yosuke!”

“Wh-what?! W-wait a–”

“Shut up! And don’t say a damn word!”

Megumi had herself and Yosuke stuffed inside a sleeping bag. However, the tightness of space held the two very close. Yosuke’s face flushed a beet red while Megumi’s blush did not go unnoticed. She also noticed how warm he was. That or maybe it was just because of the apparent fact that a girl’s body was pressed upon him. He could also smell a faint perfume from her, which made him a little light-headed. He certainly wouldn't complain about this kind of situation.

The stamps of the troll echoed. The closer he got, the more Megumi became tense. Her hand involuntarily tightened onto Yosuke’s PE jacket as she squeezed her eyes shut.

“Heeeeey! You three in there? Satonaka! Amagi! Ueno! You better answer!”

“W-We’re here!” Chie said nervously.

“Yes…” Yukiko said as she stared at the obvious lump in the sleeping bag.

“What about Ueno? Is she asleep?”

“….. Z-… Zonked out…!”

“No shit, Ueno! Now shut the hell up and go to sleep! Ugh… I think I drank too much…”

The stamps began to fade away. As soon as the presence of danger disappeared, both Megumi and Yosuke popped out of the sleeping bag and scooted away from each other, both of them still beet red.

“God… That scared the hell out of me,” Megumi said as she tried to catch her breath.

“I think… I think that took off a couple years of my lifespan…” Yosuke groaned as he tried to get rid of the blush off his face.

As tense as that situation was, both Chie and Yukiko couldn’t help but stare at the two for a moment. They were mostly amazed by Megumi’s quick thinking, although they couldn’t help but wonder if she had to go that far. Then again…

“Anyway,” Chie said as she turned the lantern back on. “What now…? You can’t stay in here, Yosuke.”

“I don’t have any choice,“ The boy frowned. "I’ll sneak out of here before the sun goes up tomorrow. Hopefully, Akari’ll be out by then.”

“Ugh…” The short-haired girl looked over to Yukiko and Megumi. The latter only shrugged while the former was still unnerved but didn’t show any signs of objection. “… Fine… If you try anything funny, I swear that I will leave footprints on your face!”

It was decided that Yosuke will take a side of the tent while the three girls will be on the other side. Chie and Megumi created a barricade that isolated the boy. The leader took the side closest to the barricade, on Chie's insistence.

“You better stay on your side! I mean it!” The short-haired girl glared daggers at the boy.

Yosuke shot her a glare back. “You stay on your side!” He then groaned. “Let’s just get this night over with…”

“Nighty-night!” Chie said as she laid on her back.

“Yeah, good night,” Yukiko said as she turned to her side.

Megumi smiled a little as she reached over to turn off the lantern. “Sleep well…”

Time had passed.

/… _.. Oh. What an awkward evening this turned out to be./_

~*~

**Saturday, June 18th 2011  
School Camping Trip, Day Two…**

 

The next day finally arrived and it ended on a good note. The students were dismissed in the morning and the Investigation Team decided to meet up near the river that Chie and Yukiko mentioned before.

“Finally it’s over!” Chie sounded relieved when she stretched her arms.

“Well, we survived it,” Megumi said. “And no one got expelled. Lucky us.”

Yosuke began to wear a grin on his face. “Since we’re here, let’s go swimming!”

Kanji looked at him with tired eyes. “Dude, really? You wanna go swimming? I’ll pass, I’m too damn stiff.”

The other boy wasn’t too surprised by Kanji’s answer and then moved his gaze to the three girls. They gave him a weird look in response.

“Why’re you looking at us for? If you wanna swim, go right ahead,” Chie said.

“We’re not gonna stop you,” Megumi piped up.

“But where’s the fun if it’s gonna be just me?” Yosuke grimaced. “Besides, a certain pair here owes me!”

“Er…” Chie began to frown. “That is true… But uh… Oh yeah! We forgot our swimsuits! Oh, that’s too bad! Right, Yukiko?!”

“Uhm… Yeah!” The raven-haired girl agreed. “Oops, we just forgot. Too bad!”

“Really now?” Yosuke said as he suddenly pulled out two sets of swimsuits. “No problem! I got you covered! This is straight from this year’s swim line over at Junes!”

All of the teenagers gave the boy a weird look mixed with surprise and very mild disgust.

“… Dude, that is so messed up…” Kanji said.

“….. That was your reason why you left us shopping the other day?” Megumi asked.

“I even got a swimsuit for you too, Megumi!”

“….. Dude, that is seriously messed up…” Kanji said again.

“No one asked you!” Yosuke grumbled.

Megumi gave him a weird look. “There’s no way in hell I’m wearing a bikini. Joke’s on you, I actually brought mine.”

“Seriously?” The boy grumbled. “Oh well. At least I’m not gonna be the only one swimming!”

The three girls appeared annoyed by this turn of events. They had no choice in the matter.

~*~

“Ugh… do we really have to…?”

“It could be worse… Let’s just get this over with…”

The three girls began to walk back to the riverside. Chie sported a yellow-green bikini set while Yukiko wore a cream and pink set. Megumi wore the one piece that her uncle bought for her and she took out the circular tails and redone her hair in simple twin tails. She did not anticipate how this swimsuit would define her bottom and her legs…

When the three got back, both Yosuke, clad in his swim trunks, and Kanji had a hard time keeping their eyes off of them. All three girls began to blush furiously as bashfulness surfaced.

“S-stop staring like that!” Chie mumbled.

“H-hey…” Yukiko said shyly as she pinned her gaze to the ground.

“Erk… Q-quit gawking…” Megumi averted her eyes away.

“Whoa…! This is seriously a feast for the eyes…!” Yosuke began to bask in the view. “I knew that you looked good, but damn…! And you gotta admit, I picked some awesome swimsuits, didn’t I?! Someday, when you’re all grown up, you’ll be some of the most finest-looking ladies out there!”

As the boy kept talking, the ire of the girls began to reach a pitch. Megumi felt scorned as well. Despite helping Yosuke out with his tent situation and saving his skin from King Moron, he clearly did not know how to keep his foot out of his mouth.

“You have crossed the line, Yosuke…!” Chie said dangerously.

“… Definitely.” Yukiko agreed.

Megumi narrowed her eyes in anger at him as an idea came to mind. “Chie.”

“Megumi.”

Both of the girls nodded and before Yosuke knew it, Megumi punched him off the cliff at the same time that Chie kicked him off.

“Whoaaaa-oh-oh-ohhhh!”

Splash!

“Sh-shit, it’s freezing!” The boy shouted as he surfaced in the water. He began to shiver as he huddled himself.

“Whoa!” Kanji appeared impressed of the might of Megumi and Chie, but he had shown concern for Yosuke. “You okay down there, Senpai?”

“Serves him right,” Megumi crossed her arms in anger while Chie simply huffed. Yukiko looked over to Kanji and noticed something dripping from him… She gasped out loud once she noticed what it was.

“Kanji!!”

The boy turned his head to look at the girls, but Yukiko's shock was justified as his nose was bleeding. “Wh… What…?”

Both Megumi and Chie became repulsed as they were grossed out. “What the hell, Kanji?!” The leader shouted.

“Ewwww!” Yukiko’s instincts kicked in as she forcefully shoved the first-year into the river.

“Whooooaaaaa!!”

Splash!

“Wh-what was that for?! I didn’t do anything!!” Kanji shouted as soon as he surfaced and huddled himself as well. "Yaa-choo!" He began to go into a sneezing fit.

“What the hell?!” Yosuke began to complain as he raised his fist at the girls. “You didn’t have to toss us in like that!”

“Like I care!” Chie shouted back with her arms on her hips. “You were planning on going in anyway!”

Megumi then heard a strange sound as she looked around. “Hm? Did you guys hear something?”

Upon careful listening, a sound of a man heaving could be heard from the upstream…

“Is that King Moron…?” Chie asked. Suddenly, she saw something unpleasant and became repulsed again. “Ewwww! What’s that floating down the river?!”

Once Yosuke and Kanji noticed it, it was too late. The echoes of their screams traveled down the river as both teenage boys felt that no shower would ever make them clean again.

“It is a good thing we haven’t gone in yet,” Yukiko said, relieved at the sudden turn of events.

“Yeah… No wonder there wasn’t anyone else around here,” Megumi observed. She then wore a smile on her face. "Well, now that kind of takes care of that. Let's change back and start packing up so we can go home." The girls agreed to their leader's plan and they began to leave the riverside.

The boys were left behind, but they could not find the will to leave momentarily. All they could honestly do was stand in utter silence.

“Senpai…”

“Don’t. Say. It.”


	17. Chapter 16: Angel City

**Sunday, June 19th 2011**

 

Megumi had managed to return home in one piece from the camping trip and life continued on. However, the next day while she was out walking in the Shopping District, she noticed a familiar figure with the blue hat and messenger bag…

“Oh, Marie,” Megumi said as she approached the rough girl.

“You’re late,” The girl said as she narrowed her eyes.

“I’m always late according to you,” Megumi pouted playfully. “So, anyway, what’s up? Where do you want to go today?”

Marie blinked once. “… We’re actually going somewhere?”

“Well, yeah...” Megumi wore a puzzled look on her face. “Why wouldn’t we?”

“Aren’t you busy enough? Don’t you already have a ton of bonds? The lady in blue told me.”

“Y’know her name is Margaret… And they’re all busy right now, I don’t want to bother them. So I’m gonna bother you instead.” Megumi grinned.

“...” Marie didn’t find any humor in her grin. “… Whatever. So, let’s go. Take me somewhere.”

Megumi sighed as she led the way. “Let’s go, Miss Bossy.”

“Don’t call me that, youstupidjerk.”

“It’s ‘you stupid jerk’--”

~*~

When they finally reached up to the Junes food court, Marie handily won the argument. Megumi had to pause a few times to catch her breath during the trip. She usually won against everyone else but arguing with Marie was a whole another ball game.

“It’s so lively up here,” Marie said as she observed the area. “And the sun is shining bright today. It feels… nice.” She then turned to the gray-haired girl. “I want a drink. Something not sweet and no water.”

“What… So you want coffee?” Megumi asked.

“That’s too bitter,” Marie frowned.

“There’s an iced version that doesn’t have to be sweet. There’s some iced tea, too.”

“Iced…?” Marie appeared to be confused by the wording. “… Show me.”

~*~

Megumi wasn’t sure if introducing Marie to an iced version of coffee was a good idea. Now the poet appeared to be more open to conversation and had bombarded the gray-haired girl with different questions. Most of them were about her friends that were part of the Investigation Team.

“… But you could always ask them, we always seem to bump into them when we’re out and about,” Megumi said.

“Bump…? But they’re not here. Make them show up,” Marie said as she crossed her arms expectantly.

Megumi appeared annoyed. “They’re probably busy. Don’t expect anyone to drop what they’re doing just for you.”

“But they do for you,” The poet shot back.

“No, that’s called good timing. Right now, the timing sucks.”

“….. Youretheonethatsucksyoustupidcirclehairedjerk.”

Megumi began to pout at first but then her lips begin to curl up and she started to laugh. Marie was thrown off by the sudden gesture.

“H-huh? Why’re you laughing for…?!”

“I think… That’s the longest insult you’ve hurled at me so far,” The girl continued to laugh.

Marie wasn’t sure what to make of her friend. That girl gets on her nerves a lot, she was nosy as hell, she had a tendency to be stubborn and her hair was seriously one of the weirdest hairstyles she had ever seen.

But still, she honestly couldn't find a better friend than Megumi Ueno.

“… Do you laugh like this with your friends a lot?”

“H-huh?” Megumi finally stopped and looked at the poet once again. There was no sign of bossiness or sarcasm dripping from her words. It was a genuine question. “To be honest, yes I do. Never like back in the big city.”

“The big city…?” Marie blinked. “You mean, you were from somewhere bigger then Okina?”

“That’s right, I came from a place called Nakano City. Or, well, that was the last place I lived in.” Megumi said as she drew circles on the table with her index finger.

“Last place?” Marie asked, curiosity overtaking her.

“….. When I was with my parents, we moved around a lot. It was all within a giant metropolis called Tokyo. Uh, lesse… Nakano City was the last place I lived in before coming to Yasoinaba. I’ve also lived in Edogawa City, Tachikawa, Minato City… Uhhh...”

“They all sound so complicated. A city within a city? I don't get it." Marie gave up on thinking of such concept.

“….. Yeah, it can get pretty confusing. I’m also going back to Nakano City next year, so it kinda means that I’m moving again. That’s why I’m trying to make the best out of my stay here- I want to make a lot of memories.” Megumi began to feel her heart weighing down upon the thought of returning to her old home next year. June was almost over, but she felt that a lot had happened since April.

“… Memories...” Marie whispered and her eyes darted to one side. “I wish I have mine… It would be nice to remember what places you were at and the friends you’ve made and the food you ate.”

Megumi looked at the girl again. She appeared to be a little sad. To be missing precious memories…

“….. Do you want to remember?”

The poet looked at Megumi again with a perplexed look on her face. “….. You mean… Find my memory…?”

“Yeah,” Megumi nodded. “There’s gotta be something out there that might help you remember.”

“… Really? You’re not joking with me, are you?”

“You may be a giant headache sometimes, but no, I’m actually not joking. I’m willing to help you if you let me.” Megumi appeared serious, with her gray eyes fixed onto the darker gray of Marie’s.

“Please do,” The poet nodded with an earnest smile. “I actually don’t know what to do or where to start. I’ll be counting on you!”

The gray-haired girl nodded. “You have my word.”

~*~

It was evening time at the Dojima house and the family sat down to eat dinner. The TV was on and it featured an entertainment show. The idol Risette, or real name Rise Kujikawa, announced that she was taking a hiatus from the entertainment business and was moving to Inaba to live with her grandmother. From what Megumi could tell, Rise appeared to be very tired, as her eyelids appeared droopy and her voice slightly strained.

Nanako looked over to her father and cousin. “Is Rise-chan quitting her job on the TV?”

“Who knows,” Dojima said as he paused. “But if this is her hometown, then we’ll have to deal with a lot of people who’ll want to get a glimpse of her.”

Suddenly, a commercial featuring Rise played. Megumi recognized the beverage in the commercial as Quelorie Magic. She tried it once and hated it.

Dojima’s sigh caught the girl’s attention again. “The one good thing about this town was that it was quiet… And nowadays, we get all the buzz… What’s going on?”

Megumi dug back into her food before catching his attention. As much as she wanted to tell him about the truth of the murders and the kidnappings, she couldn’t tell him. Obviously, he wouldn’t believe her. She also began to suspect that he might be aware that she was involved in this case somehow…

~*~

**Monday, June 20th 2011**

 

The next day of school rolled in and the Investigation Team met up inside of Class 2-2. They began to talk about Rise’s appearance on TV and her status as an idol. Megumi couldn’t get into the world of J-pop and idols, as she spent most of her free time either hitting the books or playing tennis. In between those times, she spent it being moody and dour. In a way, she’s not that much different from Marie…

Yosuke, however, expressed his delight of the possibility of meeting Rise. Leave it to Chie to bring him back down to Earth, as she reminded him of an important fact regarding what they discussed a few days ago. Since Rise appeared on the news recently, it could possibly mean that she might be the next victim to be thrown into the TV world.

~*~

**Tuesday, June 21st 2011**

  
That theory proved to be correct the next night.

Megumi frowned at the fact that there might be someone targeted next, but the camera decided to be annoying as it kept zooming in on a girl’s chest and thighs. It made it difficult for her to confirm who it was, but she had a sneaking suspicion that it might be Rise Kujikawa…

It only took Yosuke’s enthusiasm to confirm it via phone call.

~*~

**Wednesday, June 22nd 2011**

 

“I’m pretty sure that’s Rise Kujikawa herself!”

Yosuke was on cloud nine as a dreamy look melted on his face. The next day rolled in and once again, the Team was in Class 2-2 again to discuss a plan. That, or some sort of plan as the boy kept going on and on about a certain idol.

“Her curves…! Her posture…! Even her gorgeous legs…!!”

“Would you quit acting like a pervert? You wouldn’t shut up about it since last night,” Megumi grumbled.

“Hey, don’t forget why she appeared in the first place!” Chie scolded the boy. “Anyway, are you guys going today? Yukiko and I have other plans, but give us a call in case anything comes up.”

“Alright, see you two later,” Megumi waved her friends off. However…

~*~

Megumi sighed to herself. Having to listen to Yosuke go on and on about Rise Kujikawa was annoying as hell. Kanji didn’t appear to care much for his senpai’s raving either. The three teenagers began to head over to Marukyu Tofu, the shop where Rise was supposed to be at.

“Just don’t forget why we’re going,” Yosuke said as he tried to sound serious. “We’re there to ask her about the Midnight Channel, not to gawk at her.”

“Speak for yourself,” Megumi said irritably as she crossed her arms. “At least Kanji has a degree of restraint and manners, unlike a certain boy I can think of right now."

Yosuke raised an eyebrow. “What’s with you? You’ve been moody since last night.”

“Nothing.”

“That was a quick ‘nothing’, Senpai...” Kanji finally spoke up.

“There really is nothing. Don’t worry about me,” The girl sighed.

The three teenagers eventually arrived at the tofu shop. As expected, it was crowded. It was apparently so bad that Adachi could be seen directing traffic.

“Oh, Adachi-san,” Megumi said as she and her friends walked up to the lanky detective.

“Oh, hi there, Megumi-san! What brings you here?” Adachi greeted the girl.

“I’m more curious about why a plainclothes detective is doing traffic control here,” Kanji spoke up.

“Oh, it’s because Rise Kujikawa is here and people are trying to get a glimpse of her. They end up blocking traffic, so I have to keep it moving.” Adachi explained. “That and the police staff is too small… Uh… I still got work to do, so, uh… See ya!” He promptly left without saying another word.

“Dude, you managed to scare away a detective on active duty…!” Yosuke was astonished. Kanji only shrugged.

“But I wasn’t trying to scare him, I was just saying what I’m thinking...”

“Y’know… Now that I think about it,” Megumi spoke up with less bitterness in her tone. “Are the police suspecting that Rise might be next too?”

Before either boy could answer her question, Dojima's voice could be heard as he exited the shop. He grumbled about Adachi leaving his post, but he definitely noticed his niece, the Hanamura boy, and a certain delinquent…

“Kanji Tatsumi…? Are you friends with them?” Dojima asked as he approached the tall boy.

Kanji appeared annoyed by the mere fact that a cop was approaching him in the face. “Like it’s any of your business...”

“If you say so,” Dojima then turned his attention to the girl. “Megumi, what are you doing here?”

“Uhm," She was caught off-guard by Dojima's sudden appearance. She should've known since they saw Adachi earlier. But then the guilt from the other night weighed on her suddenly. What should she say…?

“Actually, sir...” Yosuke spoke up as he noticed his partner’s hesitation. “I’m such a huge fan of Risette and I kinda talked Megumi into going with me to meet her.”

Dojima glanced at the boy and then looked back at his niece again. “Is this true?”

“Uh… Yeah…” The gray-haired girl said lamely as she looked at Yosuke for a moment. _/Did he just…?/_

The detective looked between them and Kanji. The look on his face said that he didn’t really believe them, but he ended up not pressing them further. “Fine… Try not to bother her too much.” He left without saying anything further, much less look at Megumi.

The girl frowned. She could tell that he was not happy with her. But this was not her fault… Right?

“So, your uncle’s a cop, huh?” Kanji asked as he looked at the girl.

“Huh?” She picked up her head. “Oh… Yeah...”

Yosuke noticed that her attitude changed again. There was something that weighed her down and now he wasn’t sure if speaking up for her was a good idea. “But what could we say? I got taken in once and she had to talk her uncle into letting me go...”

“Really?” Kanji’s eyes opened in surprise. This may have convinced him that there was a lot more to Megumi then just a simple fact that she was a girl and her uncle was a detective.

“I know,” Megumi spoke up. “I can’t tell him anything. We can’t bring any unwanted attention to us, either. It’s already bad enough with what’s going on.”

“You got a point there, Senpai,” Kanji nodded.

The crowd soon began to disperse. However, the three teens had overheard from someone that Rise might not be home and it might have been a rumor. Yosuke did not look pleased.

“A rumor?! We came all the way out here and that’s it?!”

Kanji began to laugh. “Sounds like your world is comin’ to an end.”

“Shuddup!” The headphone-clad boy groaned. “We might as well check out the store. I’ll buy something.”

Megumi blinked at the boy’s words. The one time she made lunch for herself, it was made with tofu. Yosuke tried to get her to give him a bite, but he backed off once he found out what was in her lunch. “… But I thought you can’t eat tofu, Yosuke.”

The boy blinked once. "Oh yeah, you remember that? So that would leave ganmodoki, right?"

“Sounds right,” Megumi nodded.

“Uh… what’s in ganmo again?” Yosuke asked as he scratched his head.

“Are you serious…?” The girl asked him as she leered at him.

“You really don’t know, dude?” Kanji also leered at him. “It’s like, fried tofu patties with veggies and stuff mixed in. Most people who’re allergic to soy usually get something like ganmo.”

“Oh… I get it,” The boy said as he understood the information given to him. “Yeah, I think I should be okay eating that.”

As the teenagers walked into the shop, they noticed an attendant working hard in the back. They couldn’t get a good look at her because her back was turned away.

“Man… Maybe they were right, maybe Risette isn’t here...” Yosuke frowned. “It’s the usual old lady here.”

Kanji looked annoyed at him. “Dude, just ask around! It’s not that hard.” He then walked up to the attendant. “’Scuse me, is Rise Kujikawa here?”

The attendant turned around, but it was clearly not an older woman. It was, in fact, a teenage girl with her auburn brown hair tied into two pigtails and she looked at the tall boy with her brown eyes. She wore an apron on top of her street clothes and a headband covered most of her head.

“… Who wants to know?” The girl responded in a tired voice.

Yosuke gasped loudly and his excitement began to overtake him again. “O-oh maaaan, that’s Risette…!”

Megumi’s sourness returned as she elbowed the boy in his ribs.

“Ow! What was that for, Megumi…?!” The girl gave him a stink eye. He shuddered at the sight but then he remembered. “O-oh! Uh… Um… I want to buy some tofu, please!”

If they could, both Megumi and Kanji would facepalm now. Rise looked at him with her tired eyes.

"What kind of tofu…? If you're going to eat it raw, then you'd want silken. Momen is better for cooking, depending on how you use it," Rise explained.

“Uh… um… I-I forgot what the other kind is...” The boy admitted.

Kanji’s eye began to twitch. “You were already asking about ganmo… The hell’s wrong with you?” He then turned to Rise. “Dude here wants three ganmodoki.”

“And, uh, I’ll take three ganmodoki as well as some momen tofu please,” Megumi spoke up. _/Might as well buy some for dinner later./_

“Oh, I see. Wait here, I’ll go get them,” Rise said as she moved to the display to collect the different kinds of tofu. Megumi could tell by even her walking pace that she was very tired. Being an idol must be very difficult.

“Man, she’s different from being on TV,” Yosuke said to his friends. “But ohhh, it’s really her…! I’m so glad that I got to meet her! Mission com--”

“We haven’t even got to ask her about that thing yet, Yosuke,” Megumi said irritably. “And who’s the one who said about asking her of the Midnight Channel?”

The boy began to slightly fluster. "C-C'mon, Megumi… Cut me some slack. What if you were meeting a popular boy band? You'd get all excited too, wouldn't you?"

The girl grumbled a bit. Truth be told, she was cranky and getting into another argument with Yosuke would only worsen her mood. “… That’s beside the point.”

“Uhm...”

All three teenagers looked up and noticed that Rise was trying to say something.

“I’m sorry for being nosy… But did you say the Midnight Channel?”

“Oh...” Megumi realized that she let that slip too early. How bad could this day get? “Uhm… May we ask something? Have you noticed anything weird lately?”

Rise appeared puzzled. “You mean like stalkers…? Are you really fans of mine?”

Kanji looked at Yosuke. “Wouldn’t say ‘we’, but this dude is.”

“Wha-?!” The boy appeared shocked. “Not you too, Kanji!”

“You were going on and on about her. ‘Her curves, her posture, her gorgeous legs’. Does that all sound familiar?”

Megumi’s palm finally met her forehead. As much as he tried, Kanji wasn’t helping either. “… Just ignore them, Kujikawa-san. But more to the point, you’ve heard about the murders that happened here recently, right? We’re, uhm… investigating them.”

“Oh…?” Rise blinked owlishly. “But yeah, I’ve heard about the Midnight Channel from some friends of mine. The girl that was on TV… That isn’t me.”

Megumi, Yosuke, and Kanji appeared surprised. That wasn't Rise last night? Then who was it?

“Besides,” The idol continued. “I’ve never worn that swimsuit before. And the size of her bust… Um, mine aren’t that big.”

“O-oh, really?” Yosuke said as his eyes were locked onto Rise’s chest. Megumi noticed this and she immediately smacked the boy’s head from behind. “Ow!! What the hell, Megumi!!”

“Quit staring!” The girl glared at him. He was beginning to get on her last nerve.

“You didn’t have to hit me, though!”

“Maybe I wouldn’t have to if you quit acting like such a pervert!”

“W-why’re you getting so pissed off for?!”

Kanji sighed to himself. “Not this shit again… Sorry, these two tend to do this a lot.”

Rise began to slightly chuckle. “That’s alright, you don’t need to apologize. I tend to have that kind of effect on couples.”

Both Yosuke and Megumi stopped dead in their tracks and looked at Rise with absolute shock. Them? A couple?

“Wh-wh… Wha…?” Yosuke began to sputter as his face produced a faint blush.

Megumi’s face also did not go unnoticed as she began to blush as well. “Uh… W-we’re not a couple...”

“Oh… Sorry for making it awkward,” Rise smiled for a moment, but then an inquisitive look appeared on her face. “Do you know what that show is about?”

“Well, we’re not too sure either,” Yosuke admitted when his face cooled off. “But you know how things are happening here? We think that when a person appears on that channel, they will get kidnapped next.”

The idol appeared bewildered by this wild claim, but she said nothing and continued to listen to the teens.

“I know it all sounds insane, but we’re not lying,” Kanji said.

“That is one of the reasons why we came here so we can warn you,” Megumi also said.

“Huh...” Rise began to look off to the side. “I thought it was all a dream… I tried it out ‘cause I couldn’t sleep.” She then shifted her eyes back. “Thank you for telling me about this… I’ll be careful.”

Megumi nodded with a smile. “No problem… Glad that we can be of help.”

At the end of the visit, Yosuke ended up paying for Megumi’s purchase as well as his own. Everyone had extra tofu as well, a token of Rise’s appreciation for her safety. As the gray-haired girl parted ways with the guys and began to head home, her mind was lost in thought...

Did these two really fight like a couple all the time?

~*~

“We sure have a lot of tofu.”

Nanako spoke up about the dinner that Megumi made for the family. There was a wide arrangement of tofu dishes that were created. She hoped to use some of them for leftovers and her lunches.

“Yeah,” Dojima said quietly. “Sure tastes great.”

“Thank you,” Megumi smiled as she happily ate her dinner. However, Dojima slowed down on his consumption. He had a lot of questions for his niece.

“Megumi.”

“Uh?” The girl stopped eating for a moment as she noticed that he had that ‘look’ again. She forgot that her uncle was still not happy with her. What was with this day? “Uh… Yes?”

“You visited Rise Kujikawa today, right?” Dojima got to the heart of the matter. “What did you talk about with her?”

“Uh...” Megumi’s eyes began to dart around, something that the detective noticed whenever she’s struggling to answer something related to the cases. “I, uh… Mostly asked about her work as an idol, since I’m not a Risette fan. Why do you ask…?”

“….. I see.”

_/… Wait, that’s it? Why do I get the feeling that I’m still in trouble?/_

A long silence brewed between the two. Megumi struggled to eat while Dojima was stuck in his detective mode. His intuition couldn’t be shaken off so easily.

“… Forget that I said anything, Megumi. I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

“W-wait, you two met Rise-chan…!?”

Nanako was surprised to learn about this as her father and cousin look at her. The awkward look on their faces caused the little girl’s enthusiasm to die down.

“… Are you two fighting again?”

Dojima sighed. “No… We’re not. Just hurry and eat your dinner.” He then started to shovel more food into his mouth.

Megumi opened her mouth to say something, but then she backed off. She wanted to reassure Nanako that they weren’t fighting at all. However, the heavy atmosphere proved to be too great.

She then lost her appetite.

~*~

As soon as Megumi finished cleaning, she immediately withdrew to her room. She would leave the house if she could, but she knew that Dojima probably wouldn’t let her. She could use a part-time job as an excuse and go see if one of her friends was around, but it was raining again and the Midnight Channel was more important.

It was a few hours before midnight and she tried to pour her attention into a book she was in the middle of reading. However, her attention wouldn’t stay on the material. Today was nothing short of ridiculous. But why?

Her uncle, she could understand. He was a detective, it was his nature to be suspicious and ask questions, no matter how big or small. He could probably tell that she was lying every time he asked her about something regarding the cases. She detested doing this to him, but it was necessary.

Then there was the subject of Yosuke. Now that Megumi thought about it, this was normal teenager stuff. Of course his hormones would get the better of him, no matter how focused he was on the case. But the way he kept going on and on about Rise's assets really got on her nerves. Then there was the idol's comment about them.

Megumi wasn’t sure about her and Yosuke. She honestly thought they were just really great friends. Whenever they weren’t arguing or talking about the cases, he was usually sweet to her. He had a tendency to buy her food whenever they meet up and whenever something silly happened, they’d laugh it off like it was nothing. She helped him a lot during class and was always there to listen to him. She was there for him when his own Shadow appeared and when those awful girls badmouthed Saki. She understood that he could be an idiot, but there was something about him.

But...

There was no way they could be together as a couple, even if there was something. Despite him trying to move on, Megumi could tell that he was not over Saki. Also, she didn’t want to get involved with someone here, because...

Then the TV buzzed on. Was it midnight already?

The image projected Rise Kujikawa, in the very same swimsuit from yesterday’s broadcast.

~*~

**Thursday, June 23rd 2011**

 

After school rolled in again, and the Investigation Team assembled at their headquarters. They discussed the subject of Rise being the next target, thus confirming that whoever appeared on the Midnight Channel would be kidnapped next. Although Yosuke confirmed that while Rise was still at the tofu shop, it did not mean that she was safe. It was also confirmed that whenever a person was actually inside the TV world, the ‘show’ that housed their Shadow self will appear. The content of the ‘show’ itself was a reflection of the person that entered the world, harboring something that they did not want anyone else to know of.

However, Chie brought up a valuable point about the grainy images that first appear. The Team concluded that this might act as some sort of a ransom note. Yukiko assumed that this act might be the culprit’s intentions. It was a possibility that world was a mixture of what everyone wished to see and the culprit himself might possess the power of Persona to especially throw people in there…

Of course, to any of them, nothing ever made sense.

For now, they had a chance to prevent Rise from getting thrown into the TV and hopefully catch the killer in the process.

~*~

It should had been smooth sailing. It should had been the end of it.

However, Megumi was in a panic as she ran all over the Shopping District.

How did it get to this?

They were over at Shiroku getting snacks first. They ran into Adachi, who slipped out that he was ordered by Dojima to watch them. Megumi anticipated that as he was still suspicious of her and her friends. With quick thinking, she got all of them to cooperate with the lanky detective.

Then, they staked out of Rise's tofu shop. Nothing happened for a good couple hours until Yukiko spotted the culprit. He had a really bad overbite and also had a lot of cameras on him. This also confirmed Chie's suspicions that the killer might have been a pervert.

It took a lot of effort, but they have managed to catch the culprit. However, he was defending himself for being a hardcore Risette fan and appeared clueless about the murders. This made Megumi suspicious, but for the sake of her friends who were celebrating that they might have bagged the guy, she decided to not ruin the mood.

However…

“She left… without saying anything?”

Yosuke began to understand why Megumi wasn’t up to celebrate just yet. How could they succeed if they couldn’t tell Rise about it? Now since her grandmother told them that she had left the shop without a word…

The teens split up to search the entire area. When they regrouped…

“I can’t find her anywhere!” Chie said as she tried to catch her breath. “How about you guys…?”

Everyone else shook their heads as Megumi began to fear the worst.

~*~

Damn it. She hated it when her gut feeling was right... again.

“’Marukyu’! Good evening, good evening! I’m Rise Kujikawa!”

When the Midnight Channel came on, it featured Rise in a vivid picture. She was wearing the same swimsuit from the last couple of nights. The area she was in looked more familiar to Megumi, or at least from her memories of the big city’s layout. She appeared to be in the front of a strip club.

_/….. What the…/_

“This spring, one young girl levels up to become a high school idol! And you know what…? I’m gonna celebrate by pushing the limits of Standards and Practices!”

_/… What does she mean by--/_

“I’m. Gonna. Strip for you all!”

_/….. Huh?!/_

“Eeeek! How embarrassing! Is this too hot for TV?! But… If I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna go all the way! I'm more than willing to take it all off for you! Teehee, stay tuned!"

Then the broadcast came to a merciful end.

_/….. What in the--/_

Megumi’s phone began to ring and she grimaced to see that Yosuke’s name was on the ID display. She inwardly groaned before pressing the answer button.

“Hello--”

“Is she really serious?!”

Megumi winced when Yosuke yelled right into the phone. He began to yammer on about how the shows were getting crazier and about Rise and about her stripping. Megumi had to suppress the urge to cuss him out.

“Shut up and calm down, Yosuke!” Megumi shouted into her phone, the anger in her voice noticeable.

“O-oh, sorry… Got too excited… Anyway! Dammit, we still failed to prevent this from happening. That detective was no help at all. Guess it is better to just do this ourselves...”

“Yeah,” Megumi agreed. “We got to do something or else her Shadow is gonna get even worse.”

Yosuke sighed. “You’re right… Let’s all regroup tomorrow so we can come up with a plan!”

“Yeah...”

Once again, Megumi had to stand against the dangers of the TV world. An innocent person was trapped there and her name was Rise Kujikawa.


	18. Chapter 17: No One Like You

**Friday, June 24th 2011**

 

Before meeting up with the rest of the Investigation Team at their headquarters, Megumi decided to prepare her ensemble of Personas over at the Velvet Room. Fusing, recalling, even more fusing… It took a lot of funds to do all this. While she was curious as to why these services cost money, Igor began to speak up.

“Ah, there is something that I should tell you, my dear," the long-nosed man said.

“… What is it?” Megumi asked, perplexed by this sudden moment.

“It appears that one aspect of a great and terrifying power is fast approaching. Tell me, have you been nurturing your bonds?”

Megumi immediately thought of her friends, family, and acquaintances. Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Teddie, Nanako, Uncle Dojima, Suzume, Junichi, Naoki, Yori, Ayane, Masuhiko, Akari, Eri, Margaret, Marie, and Adachi…

“I can sense many paths interspersing with yours. However you rise up to the occasion is up to you, of course,” Igor grinned, as usual.

“That means you better come back alive,” Marie said, her eyes narrowing at the guest.

“I shall say a prayer for you while you’re gone,” Margaret said as she looked at Megumi with gentle eyes. “As always, we shall await your return.”

After she was done, the gray-haired girl began to walk to Junes. During the trip, her thoughts weighed on Igor’s cryptic warning. What kind of power? Was there more to Rise’s Shadow? Would something else emerge?

Megumi felt her resolve burning for one reason regardless: she was determined to make sure her friends were safe and that everyone would return back home to their families. The same was true for herself. The Investigation Team absolutely could not fail this rescue.

~*~

Upon entering the TV world, the teenagers had found Teddie in a depressed state. He would not turn to greet them as he fixed his gaze on the ground.

“Teddie?” Chie asked. “You okay…?”

The bear began to sigh heavily. “You were all having fun without me… You all have forgotten about me...”

Megumi appeared confused. What had gotten into him? “What made you say that?”

“I got bored because no one would come visit me,” Teddie frowned. “And I still can’t figure out who I am… And I’ve heard voices from your world. They sounded like they’re having so much fun…” He then fell to his knees. “I’m such a useless and lonely bear…!”

This prompted Chie and Yukiko to walk up to Teddie so they could pet him in reassurance. “C’mon, Teddie!” The short-haired girl said. “It’ll be alright, we’re here now!”

“I’m sorry that you were lonely,” Yukiko spoke up as she gently rubbed his head. “We still think about you from time to time.”

Teddie began to smile a little and looked up to the girls. “… Can I try scoring with you two and Sensei someday…?”

Megumi was surprised that he managed to remember the ‘scoring’ conversation from a few months back when Yukiko was rescued. However, the red sweater girl frowned. “Can we please drop the whole ‘scoring’ thing…?”

“Anyway!” Yosuke found the perfect timing to change the subject. “How’re things over here? Can you sense someone now?”

Megumi also spoke up. “We believe that a girl named Rise Kujikawa is here.”

Teddie tried to process this information, but his frown returned. “I… think so…? My nose hasn’t been very good as of late… I’m one shabby bear… I’ll become useless and then… You guys won’t need me anymore...”

“Don’t say that,” Megumi blurted out, grabbing the bear’s attention. She might not understand his struggles, but she strongly believed that he was far from useless. “You’ve been a huge help for all of us this far, Teddie. Besides, you haven’t forgotten the promise, have you?”

The bear’s eyes appeared to have realized something. “… O-oh yeah! I… almost forgot about it...”

Yosuke’s face soured. “Dude, how do you forget something like that?”

“I have just been so occupied with myself..." Teddie mumbled. "But… I can stay with you all…?"

“Of course!” Megumi said as she ended up walking over to him and petted him. “Whatever we’re facing, we’ll do it together. That’s what friends do for each other.”

Teddie’s smile began to return as he growled happily. “Y-yeah...”

Kanji began to mumble to himself, “I’m so jealous, Senpai… I really want to touch his fur...”

“Alright,” Megumi said as she straightened up and she pulled out what appeared to be a tofu phone strap. “Rise gave this to me the other day. Do you think you can use it to track her scent?”

Teddie took a good look at the object. He then nodded as he accepted the strap and began to sniff it in search for clues.

Yosuke appeared surprised. “Since when did Risette give you that…?!”

Megumi looked over at the boy. She recalled that before she walked back home and the boys were already gone, Rise stopped her for a moment. She wanted to apologize for putting the leader on the spot. Her apology came in a form of the tofu phone strap and a sincere wish that she would find happiness with a boy. She didn’t explicitly state which one, but Megumi had a feeling that it was with a certain boy with the pair of headphones.

“…..”

The boy blinked in confusion to her silence. However, the girl suddenly yelled, “Top secret!”

Yosuke began to grumble a little, but Megumi filtered him from her thoughts. As sincere as the wish was coming from Rise, the leader already knew that she couldn’t.

“Oh! Sensei! I think I may have found her!”

~*~

The Investigation Team had arrived at the front of a club, just like the one from last night's broadcast. It was mostly pink, with bright colorful lights scattered around, lacy curtains peppered in the right spots and posters of various women were prominently displayed. One of those posters included Rise Kujikawa.

“What kinda place is this…?" Chie asked as she was taken back by the blinding lights.

“Oh, wow!” Yosuke’s face began to spread into a grin. “It’s one of those places…!”

“Huh...” Kanji nodded to himself. “So this is a strip joint…?”

“Uh,” Megumi spoke up. “Kind of…? This is more like some sort of place you’d find next to an inn somewhere far away...”

“Wh-wha-?!” Yukiko began to fluster. “Th-this is not what our inn is like! Not like that!”

“Anyway!” Chie attempted to change the subject, “Teddie, are you really sure that Rise-chan is in there…?”

“Yep! I’m pretty sure she is!” Teddie chirped, oblivious to the atmosphere of the area.

Megumi then nodded. “Alright… Let’s go!”

~*~

The Investigation Team began to walk around inside the club. The lights dimmed in some areas and there was loud electronic music blaring from the speakers. There were TVs scattered on the walls as well. The only thing that made it not like an ordinary club from an average point of view was the fog that lingered on the ground.

“Dude, is this what the inside of a club is like?” Yosuke asked.

"I wouldn't know," Megumi said as she leads the front. There were a lot of intersections and long halls, but no stairwell in sight. She began to have her doubts. _/Are we going in the righ--/_

An arrow almost pierced Megumi’s leg before she took a step. The Team looked up and noticed a cupid-like Shadow hovering around, readying another attack.

“Persona!” Megumi wasted no time in summoning Izanagi and in a split second, the Shadow was destroyed.

“Oh man...” Chie groaned. “The lights here are so dim!”

“I also sense Shadows all around us…!” Teddie reported as he stuck close behind the Team’s flank.

“… It’ll be dangerous for us to use our weapons, so stay together!” Megumi ordered. Everyone began to tighten their formation in response.

All of a sudden, the TVs on the walls came alive. Rise was displayed on all of them in a vivid picture, the only difference was that now she had the yellow eyes of a Shadow. She was also seen swinging around on a pole seductively.

“Teeheehee! Thank you, my lovely fans, for coming out today!”

“Is that Rise?!” Yosuke shouted as he noticed that all the TVs were displayed the same images of the idol.

“I think that’s her Shadow!” Yukiko said as she saw the yellow eyes.

Rise’s doppelganger stopped her ‘show’ and approached the camera. The camera responded by zooming in on her chest and thighs once again. “Today, I’ll prove that my word is just as good enough! Today, you’ll get to see every last inch of me!”

During the Shadow’s monologue, more cupid-like Shadows emerged and began their assault on the teenagers. Their formation broke as they jump and hid behind various booths.

“Tch…!” Megumi summoned another Persona to counterattack. “Neko Shogun!” A small cat-like Persona appeared and it formed a wall that blocked the arrows.

“I’ll back you up! Jiraiya!”

“Me too! Let’s go, Tomoe!”

Both Yosuke’s and Chie’s Personas jumped into the fray and helped clear out the hoard of Shadows.

“Hm? What’s that?” Rise’s Shadow spoke up again as the camera panned to her face. “You don’t believe me? Heehee, okay, okay! Why don’t we… Oh, but you wouldn’t be able to see with all this smoke, would you…?”

More Shadows began to appear from behind, with these kinds taking on forms of cops with giant holes in the abdomen. They rose their guns up and began to fire their weapons at the Investigation Team.

“Watch out!” Yukiko shouted as she summoned her Persona.

Konohana Sakuya raised her arms gracefully as the fires began to explode on the cop-like Shadows. However, more of the same Shadows appeared and the frontal assault from the cupid-like Shadows was pressing the team in.

“Man…! I better do something! Megumi-senpai!” Kanji caught the attention of the leader. “Take the front! I’ll protect the back!”

“Alright! I'll keep us moving then! You just be careful!" Megumi got up and began to run forward as she summoned Izanagi. The black Persona worked together with Jiraiya and Tomoe as they continue to mow down the Shadows.

“Oh yeah,” Kanji said as he smirked with an air of coolness. “I got this. C’mon out, Take-Mikazuchi!” The tall boy smashed his Persona card with his fist and then the black skull-clad giant appeared. Any Shadow that dared to cross the path of Take-Mikazuchi were met with a swift end. The hulking Persona did a great job keeping the enemy off the Investigation Team’s tails.

It appeared that Rise’s Shadow was watching the whole spectacle and giggled in delight. “And when we come back, I’ll have an extra special guest for all to see! Maru-Q!” She then returned to her pole and began to dance again.

“What did she mean by that?” Yukiko asked as the Team tried to keep moving.

“I don’t know,” Yosuke said. “But this is going to get worse we don’t hurry!”

“Um...” Megumi began to get worried. Didn’t they just pass through this intersection? “I think… we’re lost.”

“Huh?!” Chie sputtered. “W-what do you mean?!”

"Maybe we're not supposed to look for a stairwell, but maybe this is just one giant compound," Megumi explained. "And Rise's Shadow may be right in the middle of it."

“That would make sense if we’re going around in circles,” Yosuke said. “But if we stop now, we’re gonna get swamped by freaking Shadows! If you got an idea, Megumi, now’s a good time!”

“But we can’t keep running around forever!” The short-haired girl brought up a valid point. “There’s gotta be something we can do, like break a wall or--”

Megumi gasped. “That’s it! Chie, you’re a genius!”

“Wait, I am?” Chie blinked in confusion.

“Kanji! Need you up here now!” Megumi shouted. Kanji looked up and ran over to the front of the group while Chie and Yukiko traded places with the boy to protect their flank.

“What’s up, Senpai?” Kanji asked as Take-Mikazuchi stood right behind him.

“Knock down this wall!”

“Huh? Just like that?” It was Kanji’s turn to appear confused, but he shrugged. “… Alright then!”

As instructed, Take-Mikazuchi utilized his brute force and punched the wall that was next to the Team. They watched in awe as Megumi’s theory came true. The wall began to crumble and it revealed a completely different hallway! In fact, that hall may lead to something bigger…

“Good job, Kanji!" Megumi grinned as she and the rest of the Team began to run in with their Personas. The only response Kanji could muster was a sheepish grin as he tagged along.

“Sensei is so smart!” Teddie began to sing praises of the leader, but then his expression changed to seriousness. “However, all this is from Rise-chan herself! She’s trying to suppress her thoughts!”

~*~

When the Investigation Team finally reached the middle of the building, they stopped. There was a large stage right before them, with Rise’s Shadow hanging from the pole. Her eyes began to look seductive as she smiled.

"They're all here!" The Shadow giggled. "All eyes are on me now! And since our extra special guests are here now, I might as well introduce a guest of my own! Behold! Rise Kujikawa!"

A spotlight randomly appeared and it showed down on the real Rise, still clad in her apron from working in her shop. She was kneeling down as she tried to ignore what was going on.

Megumi gasped. “There’s the real one!” The Team tried to run forward, but suddenly multitudes of pole shot up from the ground and blocked the teenagers. “The hell…?!”

“Ah, ah, ah,” The Shadow said in a teasing manner. “May I remind that all guests must be on their best behavior! No touching allowed!” She then looked over to the real Rise and smirked as she got down from the pole. “Hey, what’s the matter? Why’re you being so quiet for? You do want to show your stuff, don’t you?”

“Stop… Please, stop...” Rise sobbed as she tried to block out everything that was happening around her.

The Shadow only giggled with a sinister tone as she leered down on her real self. “Ohhh, she wants me to stop. That’s so hilarious. As if that’s what you’re really thinking, you little skank! You should know that you’re me! And obviously, I’m you!”

“That’s not true...”

The Team's Personas had a hard time trying to break through the poles. Every time some of them were destroyed, more shot up in an attempt to block them.

“Kyahaha, they’re sooo bad for wanting a peep! But how could I blame them?! This is the real me! The girl right in front of you! Not ‘Risette’, the fake celebrity! I’m so sick of being some featherbrained twit who’s told to choke down everything with a smile! ‘Risette’? Who the hell is she?! There’s no such person that exists!”

“That’s not… I…!”

“Well, I guess the only thing left to do is to prove my point. I’m gonna show off everything...” She began to reach for the string on top of her bikini as a sly smirk formed on her face.

Rise began to panic as she stood up and covered her ears. “Stop! Stop it! You’re not…!”

The poles that blocked the Team began to disappear one by one. “No! Don’t say it!” Chie cried out as the Team tried to hurry through.

“You’re not me!!”

_/….. Really now?/_

Megumi scowled as the inevitable began to happen. Dark energies began to surround Rise’s Shadow as she began to cackle. “Ohhhh! Here... it... coooomes!”

Once the energies encased the Shadow, she became much bigger. Once the transformation was complete, she took on a bizarre appearance of a humanoid completely drenched in colors. She had a satellite dish for a face as the two auburn pigtails hung down freely. She was hanging on the pole with her leg as she swayed freely.

“I am a Shadow… The true self...”

Rise watched on with horror as she tried to back away from it. “Wh… What is this…?”

“Rise!” Megumi called out for the idol as she and Yukiko ran forward to her while the others were getting their Personas ready for an assault.

“… It’s… Ueno-san...” Rise began to lose consciousness as she slumped forward, but Megumi caught her in time.

“She should be safe now, Megumi-chan,” Yukiko said. “But we have something even bigger to worry about!”

“I know,” Megumi said as she placed Rise onto a bench. “Teddie, keep her safe!” She barked out this order to the bear as she and the red sweater girl ran back to join in their friends.

"Leave it to me, Sensei!" Teddie announced as he stays close to Rise.

The Shadow began to giggle as she danced around the pole and dodged the elemental attacks of wind, electricity, and ice.

“What the hell is going on?! Why aren’t our attacks working?!” Yosuke shouted, clearly unnerved by the situation.

“I see you…!" The Shadow giggled as she also anticipated the attacks of Izanagi and Konohana Sakuya. She twirled around in an effort to dodge them with success.

“This can’t be!” Yukiko was dismayed to see what was happening.

A strange green light suddenly emerged from Rise’s Shadow and it scanned the entire area, including the Team and their Personas.

“The hell is up with this light?!” Kanji asked out loud.

“I think...” Megumi gasped in horror. “I think she’s scanning our Personas!”

“Oooo! I can see everything about you!” The Shadow announced as she got down from her pole and began to grip it. “Now, here comes my counterattack!” She then dislodged the pole from the ground and pointed it at the Personas like a cannon. "Ready… Aim… Fire!!" She shot off multiple beams of light, in a coordination of the weaknesses of her enemies. The attack connected, severely damaging the Personas and in turn, the Team itself. The brutality of the attack proved too great as it caused everyone to fall to the ground.

“Ugh...” Megumi struggled to get up. She looked around and noticed that everyone else had also fallen down and was having a hard time recovering as well.

“Oh no, Sensei! Everyone!” Teddie cried out. “Wh-what am I suppose to do…?! Ohh… I’m such a useless bear!”

Rise regain consciousness as she slowly sat up and noticed what was happening. Her other self was mercilessly attacking the people that were trying to rescue her, one of them included the girl with the circle tails. Rise remembered giving her a tofu phone strap as an apology. Now all of them were in this horrible situation, with the gray-haired girl’s life in jeopardy along with her friends. What could she do…?

“Oh shit, it’s winding up again!” Kanji shouted but it was too late for any reaction. The attack connected again and the Investigation Team found their backs against the wall as everyone was spent both physically and mentally.

“You gotta be kidding me…!” Yosuke groaned.

“Are… Are we going to die…?” Yukiko asked. Everyone began to fear for the worst. They might not be able to go home after this.

 _/…_ _Is this… it?/_ To Megumi, she felt horrible as the burden of responsibility became too much to bear. Deep down inside, she felt that she had failed everyone. But there was still a prime objective that she knew that must be completed as she turned to look at Teddie and Rise.

“Teddie!” The girl shouted to the bear. “I want you to listen to me! Take Rise and get out of here!”

“Wh-wha…?!” The bear appeared shocked. “I… I can’t do that, Megumi-sensei! I can’t abandon you! I don’t want to be all alone again!”

“You don't have to..." Rise said as she looked at Teddie. "I..." She looked up at the giant technicolor monster, who was giggling in delight as she was unrelenting in her assault. To Rise, it was all her fault. It was her fault that thing emerged from her because she was too much of a coward to face her inner feelings.

“Okay, I think it’s time for a grand finale!” As the Shadow finished her sentence, four more poles shot up and it all came together to form a bigger cannon as she grabbed them. “Here we go again! Say good night… Forever!”

“Stop!!”

The Shadow turned her head and then noticed that Rise was running towards the front of the group. “Please, stop this! That’s enough! Just leave them alone, okay?!” She stopped right in front of Megumi as she spread her arms out in a feeble attempt to protect her saviors.

“Rise…!” Megumi’s eyes widened.

“You annoying little bitch…! I guess you want to be obliterated too, huh?!” The monster then charged up the pole cannon. “Get the hell out of my sight!”

_/No…! No no no--/_

All of a sudden, the Shadow’s gun charge was interrupted. She and everyone else noticed that Teddie was now standing at the front, with golden energies crackling around him.

"Wh-what's this?!" Teddie appeared unsure of what was happening. "M-my body! It's moving on its own! I… I feel like I'm going bear-zerk!"

“Teddie…?!” Megumi cried out to the bear. “Wh-what’re you doing…?!”

The bear had now decided on something, as he would not look back. “I… I’ll do it! Take a good look, everyone! This is Teddie’s last stand!!”

“Wh-what the hell…?!” The Shadow was now bewildered by this sudden turn of events. “This reading… Is it coming from that weird thing…?!”

“Teddie! Don’t do it!!” Yosuke shouted. Kanji shouted the same thing while Chie and Yukiko turned away in horror. Megumi’s eyes began to widen as her breathing hitched.

Teddie roared as he began to charge forward. It was now or never!

“St-stay back!!” Rise’s Shadow screamed as she charged up the gun again. However, when the attack connected to Teddie, it did nothing to slow him down. By the time he reached the weapon itself, he clung on tight, causing the gun to backfire onto the Shadow herself.

“Teddie!!!”

~*~

Everything became white. Voices were drowned out. By the time the smoke cleared out, the giant Shadow was gone. Rise’s doppelganger collapsed on the floor and Teddie…

“Teddie!” Kanji cried out.

Teddie regained some form of consciousness as he can see everyone surrounding him, all of their faces laced with concern. His body was now flattened and his fur was a mess.

“You crazy-ass bear…!” The taller boy’s voice began to break. “You could’ve died…!”

“I know...” Teddie said as he looked at the Team. “But… Did I… Did I help…?”

"You did a lot more than that," Yosuke spoke up. "You saved all of us..."

The bear smiled. “Neat! I’m so glad… I just… I just didn’t want to be alone again...”

“Teddie...” Chie frowned as she wiped away any potential tears.

“Uhm...” Rise began to walk forward a bit. “I… You saved my life too...”

“I remembered something, Rise-chan...” Teddie began. “You don’t have to be alone anymore… Not knowing who you are… I know how badly it hurts. But… We can figure it out together…!”

“We… can…?”

“Yeah…!” The bear spoke positively as he got up. “We have Sensei and everyone else here and--” He then realized something was amiss. “Wh-wha-?! What in the world?! My fine silky fur…!!”

“Oh...” Megumi blinked. “Uh… I think he’ll be alright...”

“Ueno-san...” Rise spoke up as she turned her attention to the leader. “I’m so sorry… I’m sorry that I got you and your friends involved in this… It’s all my fault...”

Megumi shook her head. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Rise, however, disagreed. “No… This is a part of me… This is something I cannot run away from anymore...” She then turned around to her Shadow self. “Here, stand up.”

The Shadow stirred as she noticed Rise standing over her. She eventually got up and stared at her with quiet eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Rise apologized. “You must have been in a lot of pain. You’re a part of me, that part where I refused to admit that you existed… I was trying to figure out who the real me is… But then, I realized something. There is no ‘real’ me. Instead… You, me, even ‘Risette’… They’re all a part of me.”

Her heart strengthened with the courage she had found at last to face herself.

Her Shadow transformed once again. This form took on a shape of a beautiful woman wearing a white gown and her face was made up of a satellite dish. She also held a visor in her hands. This new Persona then disappeared as a card began to gently float towards Rise.

“… Himiko… Who… is Himiko…?” The auburn-haired girl asked as she witnessed the card disappearing.

“That would be your Persona,” Megumi said.

“My… Per… sona...” Rise stumbled a bit, but Yosuke managed to catch her. Megumi also knelt down to check on her.

“Whoa, be careful!” The boy shouted.

“I’m alright,” Rise said as she looked up at him. “Hey… You’re the one who came to the store with Ueno-san… You two fought like a married couple...”

“O-oh, uh… Y-Yeah...” He wasn’t sure how to come back from that one.

Megumi smirked despite a slight blush developed on her face. She briefly introduced everyone to Rise shortly after.

“Thank you, everyone...”

“We should get going,” Chie spoke up. “Rise-chan’s not the only one who’s tired out.”

“Yeah...” Yukiko looked over her shoulder to see the Personas all drained. “I think we’re all tired too...”

“Yeah, let’s get goin--”

“Real? Me? Is there a real me?”

Megumi turned at the source of an eerie voice that sounded almost like Teddie’s. The voice that interrupted her had grown in size right behind the bear and it took on a form of Teddie himself, but the exception was that his eyes were now filled with malice and were yellow in color.

_/… Oh hell no./_

“You gotta be shitting me…!” Kanji said in disbelief.

“Wh-what’s going on…?” Teddie appeared confused at first, but as soon as he turned around… “Wh-what the heck is that thing?!”

“W-wait, is that… Teddie’s other self?!” Chie exclaimed.

“No...” Rise spoke up. “Everyone, stay back…! I think those are his thoughts… But, I feel something more… Like a powerful aura emanating from him...”

Megumi steeled herself for this. She could confirm Rise’s comments- there was something terribly wrong and this might be beyond the inner machinations of Teddie himself.

“The truth is unattainable…” Teddie’s other self began to speak. “It will always be shrouded in fog...”

As he said that very word, the fog began to envelop the area.

“You all sought to seek the truth… But yet, you invite more suffering…! Such foolishness…!!” Dark energies began to surround Teddie’s Shadow as he had increased in size. By the time his transformation was complete, he appeared as a larger version of Teddie. He appeared much more menacing with sharp bear claws and broken parts of his face revealing an empty dark void. His eyes glowed in the background, with it mostly colored in blue and purple.

“I am a Shadow… the true self...”

He began his destruction by attempting to swipe at the Investigation Team, but they managed to run away in time.

“Try as you may… There is only one truth: the inescapable fact that you will all die here!”

Megumi stayed with Rise as she glared at the dark being. “No matter how thick the fog will be… There’s always a way to find the truth!!”

“And thus… You invite more misery upon yourself…? Such a foolish way to live…!”

Then, strong gusts of wind began to pick up. Teddie’s Shadow began to engulf anything that had ended up inside of himself. Everyone began to hold onto various steel beams while their Personas stayed their ground.

“We gotta do something…!” Chie yelled out. “Or else we’re gonna get sucked in!”

“I don’t know how long we can hold on…!” Yosuke shouted.

Megumi and Rise both hung onto the steel beams for dear life. It was then that the leader noticed that Teddie was going into the void of his Shadow self as his current form was powerless.

“No no no no noooo--!!”

“Teddie…!!” Megumi tried to call out the bear’s name, but he was nowhere to be seen within the giant Shadow. Rise appeared to have thought of an idea.

“Ueno-san…! Please hold onto Himiko!”

"Huh?" Megumi looked at her with an unsure visage.

“I can try to find that enemy’s weakness…! Just make sure that Himiko doesn’t get sucked in…!”

Megumi realized what this would mean and quickly looked at her Persona. “Izanagi!”

On command, the black Persona went to the two girls. As Megumi held onto Rise and anchored herself with the steel beam, the idol clasped her hands together and reached into the depths of her heart…

“Persona!”

On command, the card floating in front of Rise shattered and as Himiko appeared, Izanagi stabbed her sword into the ground and held on the fellow Persona with all her might. The visor that was held by Himiko granted Rise the ability to scan for hidden things and analyze the enemy.

“Rise, did you find anything…?!” Megumi asked.

“There’s something else in there besides Teddie!” Rise confirmed. “But I can’t tell who it is…! The fog is too thick…!”

The leader gritted her teeth. If something did not happen soon, then this would had be all for naught. There must be something…!

“… Huh?” Rise gasped. “I… can hear Teddie…!”

“Wh-what?!” Megumi tried to press her ear to Himiko’s visor. It was faint, but surely, she could hear her dear friend talking to his own Shadow self. He told his dark self that he may be hollow, but that did not mean that his existence wasn’t that. He was not useless after all. He was determined to find the truth together with Megumi and everyone else.

‘I won’t leave Megumi-sensei! Or Yosuke! Or Chie-chan or Yuki-chan or Kanji! Or even Rise-chan!!’

“….. Teddie...” Megumi could feel her chest wrench as she tried to fight back a few tears.

“Found it!” Rise shouted. “His weak point is below his chest!”

“Oh no, I’m losing my grip!” Yukiko shouted as she and the others were beginning to show signs of losing their strength.

Megumi noticed the plight of her friends and blinked back the tears. She clenched her teeth as she furrowed her eyebrows.

“It’s now or never! Izanagi!!”

Izanagi pulled her sword out of the ground and allowed the gust of wind to take her in. But before Teddie's Shadow could consume her, she changed into position and pointed her sword towards a black sphere. With precise timing, she stabbed into it. A final push prompted the Shadow to cry in agony as Izanagi backed off. The gusts died down considerably and the fog retreated back into the monster as he began to disintegrate.

“It just stopped...” Kanji said as he, Chie and Yukiko watched. Yosuke looked over to see Megumi and Rise.

Himiko was dismissed as was Izanagi. Megumi was breathing heavily and her eyes looked slightly puffy. As everyone else was dismissing their Personas, the gray-haired girl gasped.

As the monster disappeared, replacing it was the original Teddie as well as the Shadow self that first emerged.

“Teddie!” Megumi ran forward with Rise in tow. The others rushed in as well to see the well-being of the bear.

“Ted, you alright?!” Yosuke asked.

“Uh...” The bear appeared unsure as he turned to face his other self.

“Even Teddie has his own hidden feelings...” Chie frowned.

Teddie began to frown as he spoke. “I don’t know who I am… I’m not even sure if I’m able to find the answer… Or maybe I’m just too afraid to search for them myself… But… I’m still here...”

“Teddie,” Megumi broke her silence. “You’re not alone. You have all of us with you.”

The bear turned to look at the girl. “I’m… not alone…?”

“Of course not,” Yosuke grinned. “We’ll help you find the answers.”

“Yeah,” Yukiko also smiled. “I’m pretty sure we’ll find out more about you as we continue to investigate this world.”

Teddie’s eyes began to water and soon, he started to cry. “Y-you… You guys…! I’m one lucky little bear…!”

Then suddenly, a familiar blue aura began to gently enshroud Teddie’s doppelganger. As the real one turned around, he and the rest of the Investigation Team witnessed the Shadow changing. It transformed into a round-shaped figure in red and gold with a blue cape and it held a missile.

The courage to support one’s friends have been made manifest and Teddie had obtained his own facade to overcome life’s trials.

“….. I… have a Persona now…? I have… Kintoki-Douji...” Teddie said as he gazed in awe.

“I can sense strong power from it,” Rise said as she smiled. “It’s really awesome… Oh...” She stumbled but Megumi caught her in time.

“Hang in there…!”

“We need to get her out of here,” Chie said. “She has to be really exhausted from all this...”

Megumi nodded. “Yeah… I’m so glad… that we’re all still standing...” She took a deep breath and smiled as she looked up at her friends.

“Let’s go home...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I am Thou... Thou art I...  
> Thou hast acquired a new bond...  
> It shall bring thee closer to the Truth...
> 
> Thou shall be blessed with the Star Arcana..."


	19. Chapter 18: As I Am

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Persona 4, the original story and characters belong to Atlus.  
> I am a fan who owns nothing and is not looking to make profit.  
> This work is created for entertainment only.

**Friday, June 24th 2011**

 

It was evening time at the Dojimas and Megumi was busy reading a book downstairs while Nanako was watching TV, as usual. She appeared exhausted, but so many things ran through her mind. Namely, the status of Rise and Teddie weighed in her head. The idol was taken home by Chie and Yukiko, but not before she made a promise to see Megumi again. As for Teddie…

“ _I want to be alone for a while.”_

_That was exactly what he said to the Investigation Team with a serious expression. He then began to lay down and do numerous sets of crunches._

“ _My beautiful fur is all coarse and ragged… Not to mention that my nose isn’t working too well either… So! For the time being, I shall begin my training!”_

“ _Uh… You sure you’re gonna be alright?” Yosuke asked as he raised an eyebrow._

“ _Don’t! Talk! To me! Please!” Teddie said in between sets._

“ _Let’s leave him be,” Kanji said, supporting Teddie’s resolve. “There comes a time when a man’s gotta stand on his own.”_

“ _Uh,” Chie was unsure. “Would that really apply to Teddie…?”_

“ _Alright then,” Megumi said as she looked at him. “We’ll go ahead and take Rise home. We’ll see you later, Teddie.”_

“ _Just you wait, Megumi-sensei!” The bear said as he did not let up his training. “I’ll make a wonderful comeback the next time we meet! Peace out!”_

Megumi sighed audibly as she tried to focus her attention. Her uncle ran home late, as usual. On cue, however, both girls could hear the door open.

“Oh! He’s home!” Nanako got up and ran over to the entrance, but began to frown that another person was here.

“Whoa! Careful now, Dojima-san!”

Megumi blinked and turned around as she saw Adachi trying to help a very drunk Dojima into the house.

“Ow…!” The detective ran his foot into a step after he managed to get a shoe off. “Dammit! Who built a shtep here?!”

“That would be the carpenters, sir,” Adachi frowned. “C’mon, don’t take your anger out on the house.”

 _/….. Oh no./_ Megumi began to frown as she tried to bury her attention back into the book. _/He’s still pissed off./_

“Whoooo…!” Dojima smiled in a drunken stupor as he saw both his daughter and his niece. “I’m hoooome! Nanako! I’m baaaack!”

Megumi began to suspect that he may be intentionally excluding her for the obvious reasons. Because of this, she failed to find the will to welcome her uncle home.

“W-welcome back, Dad...” Nanako said nervously. The atmosphere became heavy once again as she noticed Megumi’s unusual silence and Dojima not paying any mind to her.

“Hi, Nanako-chan, Megumi-san,” Adachi greeted the two girls, also noticing Megumi’s attention being buried into a book in her hands. “Um… Nanako-chan, can you go get his futon ready?”

The little girl nodded as she ran off to her dad’s room to make preparations. Megumi frowned inwardly as the lanky detective helped his superior to the couch. _/Oh no… Don’t leave me alone with them…/_

“Oh, sorry that we’re being too noisy, Megumi-san,” Adachi apologized. “But I think he had a little too much to drink...”

“How elsh…. How elsh am I shupposed to deal wish this crap?!” Dojima slurred. “I’ll let chu know…! That I’ve been in thish line of work ever shince you were in elementary shchool…!”

Megumi blinked as she looked up to Adachi.

“… The prefectural police sent in special support,” Adachi began explaining. “Mostly because um, we haven’t made any progress since April… So they sent in a hot-shot detective from a private agency… But he’s a kid about your age. I was wondering why they sent him in, but I’ve heard he’s a very sharp cookie.”

The girl blinked. This would be the first time she had heard of a detective who was only in high school. Had she met him before…?

Dojima interrupted Megumi’s train of thought as he began to scoff. “That brat is jush like any other kid…! He’sh not gonna be much help!” He began to hiccup. “He jush goes on and on about deductshions and a whole bunch’a crap…! I don’t give a damn if he’sh an ace, he’sh jush a brat for us to babyshit…”

“Well, the kid did say that as long as he can be of assistance, a reward is not needed,” Adachi said. “The higher-ups began to value that, so we’re not in a position to say no to him...”

“Adachi!” Dojima gave him a glare as he swayed in his seat. “You sheriously need to shut the hell up…! Alwaysh running that jaw like ish shome shorta damn joke..."

“I… I’m sorry, Sir… Me and my big mouth...”

“Ish also your fault for jumping the gun and hauling in that Peeping Tom…! And Megumi!”

The girl can feel Dojima’s drunken stare piercing her soul as she jumped when he called her name. “Uh… yes?”

“Don’t chu get all polite on me, young lady…! You’cn take your share of the blame too!” Dojima’s eyes began to sharpen. “Alwaysh wandering around near crime schenes whenever schomethin’ happens… Yer sho nosy fer a kid…!”

Megumi’s jaw began to tighten, but she held her ground. She chose not to say anything. A part of her wanted to escape and run out of the house, but that wouldn’t do any good for anyone.

Fortunately, Nanako came back to inform Adachi that her dad’s futon was ready. As the lanky detective helped his superior up and to his room, the little girl made a comment about the house stinking up like sake.

Megumi nodded as she sighed. How much longer would she have to keep up with her facades? As long as the case was still open, she had to power on. Even when she was running on empty.

~*~

**Monday, June 27th 2011**

 

After rescuing Rise, life had returned to normal for Megumi and her friends. She kept up with the usual pattern of tennis, daycare, friends, homework and spending time with Nanako. So much time, so many things to do in this little town… She even began to drive around the town more often on her scooter, even to where she could reach Okina by herself.

Ever since joining the tennis club, Megumi’s skills had been improved considerably. Suzume’s training had helped and her sunny personality had begun to rub off onto the gray-haired girl. There were plenty of other people who had also contributed to Megumi’s shift from the silent stoic girl to the more out-going and slightly mischievous girl.

“I honestly wouldn’t know anyone else who would smuggle a guy in their tent,” The braided girl giggled as she and Megumi began to play a match.

“C’mon, let’s not bring that up...” Megumi grumbled as she returned a serve too strongly and lost that round.

“Alright,” Suzume giggled. “So! Something happened in my class today and--” Her phone begin to ring from her bag. “Oh? Hang on a sec, Megumi-chan.” She ran over to check her phone and she began to frown immediately. Megumi could tell that something was wrong.

“H-hello…?” Suzume asked nervously. “….. Wh-what?! You’re kidding!! You’ve gotta be kidding me, is she alright?! ….. Uh-huh… Uh… Y-yeah, I’m on my way! Just give me a few minutes… Thank you.” She hung up the phone and her personality changed to something that Megumi has never seen in Suzume before. “S-sorry, Megumi-chan… I gotta go somewhere.”

Megumi blinked. “Is everything alright…?”

Suzume looked off to the side in sadness. “… My aunt’s in the hospital. I gotta go.”

Some of the other members of tennis heard about their captain’s plight and they’ve rushed over. “Suzume-chan, is she in the hospital again…? You should go ahead and get going, we’ll clean up after we’re done.”

“A-are you sure?” Suzume asked. “We haven’t done much today...”

"No, we got it. A family is more important anyway."

The tennis captain wore a face of apprehension. “Uh… yeah...”

One of the other girls began to frown. “Ah, Megumi-san. You should go with Captain Hashimoto. This looks really serious...”

Megumi blinked. They were aware of something that she did not know. Despite that, the girl nodded. “If that’s okay with Suzume, of course.”

Suzume looked at her and nodded without saying a word. This must be important.

~*~

During the trip to Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, no words were spoken between the two girls. As they finally reached the hospital, Suzume was greeted by a nice man who was revealed to be her neighbor.

“Is Aunt Keiko okay?!”

"Ah, Suzume-san. Yeah, she's stabilizing now. It is a miracle that I found her sooner rather than later… I've noticed that she's been drinking again."

“Y… Yeah...” Suzume looked off to the side once again but her face revealed a more painful expression.

Megumi wasn’t sure what to say or do in order to cheer Suzume up. After she has been given a chance to visit her aunt, Suzume walked out of the hospital room with her eyes puffy from crying.

“M-Megumi-chan… I just don’t know what to do anymore...” The braided girl began to sob as she ran over to hug Megumi.

“Calm down, Suzume,” Megumi said as she patted her back. “It’s gonna be okay--”

“No, it’s not. Things’ll never change! It’s never going to be okay!” Suzume reacted with a bitter tone in her voice. Then, she realized what she has just said. “….. I’m so sorry… I know… this is not me.”

“You’re upset, I get that,” The gray-haired girl said as she allowed Suzume to pull back from the hug. “But this is new to me. You’ve never told me any of this...”

The girls sat down in the hallway while Suzume slowly began to speak. “….. I live with my aunt. I’m an only child and my parents are all the way up in Hakodate. When we found out that my aunt’s husband passed away, I chose to transfer here when I was in middle school and live here with her. I left a lot behind in my hometown… But all she ever does is drink anymore...”

Megumi frowned. She had never realized that Suzume was a strong person for doing this on her own.

“Don’t worry, she’s never laid a hand on me,” The braided girl sadly smiled. “She told me once that she just couldn’t, even if I was a horrible child. But… it’s so hard to see her struggle. My uncle, her husband, passed away about… five years ago. And most nights, it just ended up being one drinking session after another. She even goes out to different places like Shiroku Pub. It’s so sad to see her like this… and I feel like anything I do is all for nothing...”

“That’s probably not true,” Megumi spoke up. “What you’re doing is actually very selfless and brave.”

“Huh...” Suzume let her friend’s words sink in. “Honestly, all I ever want to do is play tennis. I was part of a great team back home and I didn’t want to leave them at first. I even helped save the girl’s tennis club here when I began attending Yasogami High. But… it’s so hard, Megumi-chan. It’s hard to stay so strong after so long...” She began to sniffle.

Megumi patted her friend’s shoulder in attempt to comfort her. She felt that she understood this side of her friend that she’s never seen before. To put up such a strong front in order to deal with an aunt who’s drinking has been growing out of control…

Megumi felt like she was much weaker in comparison.

“… Thank you, Megumi-chan… I’m glad that you’re here.”

“Feel free to come to me anytime you need to vent, Suzume.”

~*~

**Wednesday, June 29th 2011**

 

Megumi’s family wasn’t that big. The only major thing was that they were scattered. Since Dojima called Inaba his hometown, it was obvious that her mother was a native here before too. However, she never really talked about this place to her daughter. In fact, they had not talked as much since Megumi’s parents practically threw themselves into their lines of work. The last time she got a phone call from either of them was during the first week that she arrived in Inaba.

Despite all this, however, there were other people out there who had it worse than she did. Or at least that is what she told herself.

It was during one afternoon with Megumi, Yosuke, Junichi, and a few other students were grouped together to help clean the classroom. The task was supposed to be done faster since Megumi and Junichi were not alone, but…

“Hey, will you guys put your backs into it?” Junichi grumbled. “I’ve seen kids clean their classes faster.”

“We’ve just finished, Sasaki, give us a break,” One of the male students grumbled right back.

“… Really now? Is the trash taken out?”

“That’s suppose to be Hanamura’s responsibility.”

“What?!” The headphone-clad boy frowned. “But I didn’t agree to that.”

“Well, s’not like we’re gonna make Ueno-san do it...” Another student said, frowning.

Megumi wasn’t a stranger to boys offering to do things that were considered ‘unladylike’, but even she got tired of that treatment pretty quickly. “I said I’ll do it. It’s just trash, guys.”

“No way. I heard last time someone let Amagi handle the trash duty, he got a massive earful from King Moron...”

Megumi blinked. “But aren’t I on his shit list?”

Junichi shrugged. “Even then, he should know well that no one is exempt from any kind of duty.”

One of the male students began to roll his eyes. “Speak for yourself, Land Shark. How did you get the votes needed to win Class Representative?”

The class rep threw a dangerous glare at the boy. “Are we talking about this again? It’s almost July, let it go already.”

“No,” The same boy returned Junichi’s look with a glare of his own. “I’m tired of being looked down on by you. Ever since you won, your attitude sucks even more. You should know damn well that half of the second-years think of you as an egotistical jerk.”

“What’s that have to do with it?” Junichi stood his ground and wasn’t showing any signs of backing down. “Y’know, if you don’t want to help us clean our classroom, feel free to-”

“Would you shut the hell up for a second?” Another student spoke up as he joined in the attempt to back Junichi into a corner. “I remember when you weren’t like this. Wasn’t it when your sister was still here--”

Junichi's eyes widened at the mere mention as he lunged himself towards the boy speaking. He put his hands right on the other student’s collar and gripped it. “You want to get your ass kicked?!”

“H-hey!! You guys, stop it!”

“Whoa, calm down! Sasaki, let him go!”

Both Yosuke and Megumi attempted to defuse the spat by keeping the two boys apart. Megumi began to place herself in front of the land shark and backing him out of the class while Yosuke struggled with keeping the peace.

“Hey! What the hell is going on here?!”

Both Megumi and Junichi turned and saw that King Moron was barreling down the hall in anger. “Sasaki! Ueno! I demand an answer – now!!”

“Uh...” Megumi tried to think of a quick response but Junichi beat her to the punch.

“We had a disagreement with Kimura-san and Watanabe-san, Mr. Morooka. I apologize for allowing it to get this far.”

Morooka grunted in disgust. “Even with Ueno here, all of you guys are idiots! I don’t even want to know what the hell you were fighting over about! I can clearly see why!” He began to glare daggers at Megumi.

_/This teacher…!/_

“Hurry up with cleaning! It’s almost time for you all to go home!” The troll then turned around and walked away, muttering under his breath.

“Jeez, talk about jumping to conclusions,” Yosuke grumbled as he grabbed the trash. “I’ll do it, don’t worry about it, Megumi.” He then quickly left the class before the girl could say anything.

“….. Yeah, I think it’d be faster now that someone’s doing trash duty. I’m out of here.”

“Yeah, me too. Screw this! And screw you, Sasaki!”

The boys began to walk out of the classroom and groaned about the land shark on the way out. Junichi could only sigh in annoyance. “….. Sorry, Ueno-san.”

Megumi blinked. “For what?”

“You got dragged into this. This has nothing to do with you.” He said as he finished what was left of the cleaning duty.

“Well, they did start it,” Megumi said as she helped finish. “All because they won’t let a girl take out some trash.”

“… There is more to that, actually,” Junichi spoke up. He then looked around for any signs that Yosuke was close to returning. “One of the guys that mentioned my sister...”

Megumi tilted her head, but she remembered that he did mention of one before.

“….. I guess I wasn’t always the bad ‘land shark’ that everyone knows now,” His eyes began to soften slightly. “My sister was one of the closest people in my life. We were together a lot when we were younger. But… My mom and I had a falling out. My old man ran away from here, all because of some other woman. Mom got all pissed off and depressed since, and we just couldn’t cooperate anymore. She began to talk about moving out of Inaba and wanted to take us with her. Of course, I told her ‘no’ because transferring is a pain in the ass. I’m sure you know about that.”

Megumi silently nodded. This shed new light onto the class rep.

“… She failed with me, but she succeeded with my sister. It put a lot of strain on us, and we just… eventually drifted apart.” Junichi sighed out loud.

The girl began to frown. Despite his rough exterior, the insides of the land shark were filled with the pain and loneliness of being away from the family he cared about. She felt that she understood her friend even better.

“… Well, this isn’t like me. Spilling out my guts like this… I wonder why...” Junichi began to look at Megumi earnestly, which he kept his gaze on. “….. But then again, I think I’ve heard that Hanamura called you by your first name. How long has that been going on?”

“… Huh?” Megumi blinked. What was with other people talking about her and Yosuke lately? “Well… I tend to do that to a lot of people as well. Why do you ask?”

Junichi seemed to have thought of something. "… You're right. Heh, forget I said anything. It's not important. But, uh… Thanks. Thanks for hearing me bitch and moan about my problems. I'm pretty sure you got better things to do than to listen to me."

Megumi frowned and shook her head in disagreement. “If I didn’t want to listen to you, I’d wouldn’t hang out with you during lunch and stuff.”

Junichi nodded. “Fair enough. Well, Hanamura should be back in a sec, so let’s go ahead and tidy up.”

By the time Yosuke came back, the class was done and Megumi parted ways with Junichi. Yosuke opted to walk her home again, despite the gray-haired girl’s mild protests.

“By the way, what did the two of you talk about?” Yosuke asked. “Are you guys friends?”

“Uhm… Yeah… Why? I shouldn’t be friends with the land shark?”

“That’s not what I’m trying to say...”

~*~

**Thursday, June 30th 2011**

 

“Thank you for attending this very short meeting. That will be all. Dismissed!”

Megumi hung around outside of the Student Council room one day after school. Masuhiko has asked of her company and she’d feel bad about putting it off. After a few members left the room and with curious glances at the girl, she slipped into the room.

“Kamiya-senpai,” Megumi said.

Masuhiko looked up from a mountain of work. “Oh, it’s Megumi-san.” He greeted her with one of his charming smiles. “You finally took some time to see me.”

“Well, I am a busy girl,” Megumi admitted.

“I can tell,” Masuhiko nodded. “You’re practically a model student despite what other people say. Your grades are decent from what I can tell from your last test scores, you keep yourself healthy by being in the tennis club, you’re learning how to play music via the music club and you have… quite an interesting number of friends. Even some from my grade and your kouhai.”

“Uh… yeah." The girl found this to be unusual as Masuhiko was able to rattle off about her current life. The obvious exceptions were her adventures inside the TV world and beating up Shadows whenever she and some of her friends embark on rescuing people.

“I know that look,” the student council president grinned. “I’m always intrigued by a strong woman, so I do my best to know her better.”

“….. Uh...” Megumi’s face began to produce a blush but she tried to get rid of it.

Masuhiko only chuckled at her bashfulness. “I’m also intrigued by a woman that gets all coy whenever a right thing is said by a particularly good-looking man. Don’t you agree?” He then got up from his seat and began to walk over to Megumi.

The girl’s cheeks began to heat up even further as her thoughts scattered. This guy was just… something else. “Wh-why’re you hitting on me?”

The president chuckled again as he adjusted his glasses. “Maybe because… I’d like to see how you’d react.” He stopped in his tracks before backing Megumi up to the wall. “You are quite adorable when you’re blushing like that.”

Megumi groaned a bit as she tried to get rid of the blush on her face. “W-would you just stop…?”

“I’m sorry, I lack an ‘off’ switch.” Masuhiko was amused by all of this. “I honestly appreciate a woman who knows what she wants. A hard-working woman who isn’t afraid to reach for her own goals. That, in itself, is a beauty that cannot be touched so easily.”

The gray-haired girl blinked at his words. “Waxing poetry?”

The president only smirked. “I’m saying that you have these qualities. There are many boys here that have been keeping an eye on you, Megumi-san. I would daresay that your beauty rivals that of the upcoming transfer student, Rise Kujikawa.”

“O-oh… Uh, okay...” _/Oh, that's right, Rise is transferring here… I wonder when…/_

“Ah, you don’t appear surprised that Kujikawa-san herself is transferring here,” Masuhiko said. “I am looking forward to how that would shape the landscape of the school… But regardless, you’re still the most beautiful to me.”

Megumi blinked as she blushed again. When it came to flirting with other girls, he had it down to an art form.

“Well, I need to get back to work. A president’s job is never done. Let’s meet again.”

~*~

 

**Saturday, July 2nd 2011**

 

“Ooo, ooo! Check it out, Megumicchi! Doesn’t this look cute?!”

It was a long day coming to a close with school and daycare duties finished up. Megumi decided to hang out with Akari, which they were in Okina City once again. The spunky first-year decided to go shopping in Croco Fur, and given the friendliness of the clerk, she was well-known here.

“You sure shop a lot...” Megumi said as she watched her friend pick out different outfits to try on.

“But of course!” Akari shouted proudly. “There’s nothing like this here back home!”

“Uh… Sure,” Megumi blinked. She did agree with her, but since she was born and raised in the city, most of Okina was more or less the same to her.

Akari’s face deadpanned when she looked at her senpai. “I know that you’d think this is boring, but give me a chance to have fun!” She then rushed off to the changing rooms.

Megumi only shrugged and with a few outfits in tow, she decided to try them out.

After a few rounds, Akari stopped in her tracks when she gazed at Megumi’s outfit of choice. “Whoa…! That lavender, black, and white combination looks really good on you!”

“You think so?” Megumi blinked as she looked down at her new outfit. It was fairly simple, with a light lavender hoodie on top of a black glittery tank top. She also wore a pleated white skirt with a lavender stripe across the bottom, with her boy shorts underneath of course. She even got a new pair of shoes, which were simple black mary janes with white socks.

“Yeah, you should go with that kind of look for the summer!” Akari beamed. “Imagine a lot of boys blushing!”

“Erk...” Megumi shot her friend a weird look but then something popped into her mind. “Say… What were you doing in Kanji Tatsumi’s tent when we all went out on that camping trip?”

“Huh?” Akari’s eyebrows shot up. “What’dya mean?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“Ummmm...” The first-year had to think on this. “Oh yeah! Heehee, aren’t you curious about the affairs of the first years! Well, I’ve noticed that Kanji-kun has been your buddy for a while, sooo… I simply slept in his tent.” She grinned.

“I know,” Megumi said as she headed back into the changing room. “One of our friends told me.”

“Huh?” Akari blinked as she ran back into her changing room. “… Oh! You’re talking about that one guy with the headphones! Say, I know he ran away because he didn’t wanna get caught, but which tent did he go in…?”

“Not mine, that’s for sure.” Megumi quickly said. Maybe it was a little too quickly, as she recalled that plan where she and Yosuke had to hide in a sleeping bag. She remembered how warm he was up close and… “Erk...” She began to blush.

“Huh? Y’know, you’re a horrible liar, Megumicchi,” Akari then realized something as she jumped onto a bench and looked into Megumi’s changing room and grinned. “He ran into your tent, didn’t he?!”

“H-h-hey, Akari!!” Megumi managed to have her top off but she covered up her bra and blushed even more. “Do you mind?!”

“Ooo, nice bra choice too! All nice and lacy and--”

“Akari!!!”

~*~

**Wednesday, July 6th 2011**

 

Megumi had rarely seen her grandparents in her life. At least, the ones she visited the most were from her father’s side. They were hard-working folks in their youth and since age had caught up to them, her aunts and uncles help look after them. Megumi’s father was more involved with his family, up until he didn’t see his own daughter very often.

School was finished for the day and she received a text message from her father. _/How nice, he’s finally catching up with technology, I see./_

The message read, ‘Hello, Megumi. How’ve you been? How’s your uncle doing? Are you making friends here? Did you join a tennis club? You’re not seeing a boy, are you?’

Her eyes began to narrow. He was always asking questions about her life. She would be more willing to reply to them if he and his wife would be paying more attention to their own daughter. At least he remembered that she did play a lot of tennis. Annoyed by all this, she shoved her phone into her bag and begun to pick up her pace.

Megumi then stopped in front of Yomenaido Bookstore. She remembered that she recently finished a book from a series she was working on. Before she entered it, someone gently tapped on her shoulder.

“Excuse me, Miss...”

“Huh?” She spun around on her heel and noticed an elderly man leaning on a cane. He dressed in a gray short-sleeved shirt with black slacks. His dark gray eyes hide behind a thick pair of glasses and his hair appeared grayed with some white strands highlighting his hair. He got a good look at Megumi and was surprised for a moment.

“….. Oh my...”

“Uh...” Megumi wasn’t sure what to do or say. “… Is everything alright?”

“… Hm?” The man looked at her again and blinked. He began to smile, although it appeared sad. “I must apologize… You look very familiar… But that is not why I ask for your attention. You dropped your cell phone...” He reached the phone out to the girl.

“Whoa!” Megumi appeared flustered and retrieved her phone back from the man. “Th-thank you!”

“You must be more careful, Miss,” The man simply smiled. “I’ve heard losing those things could be dangerous… Now, I need to be on my way… Good day.” He began to walk off again, using his cane for support.

Megumi blinked. He was certainly very nice to her, but… Who was that man?

~*~

After picking up a new book from the bookstore, Megumi began to head back home. To get to her neighborhood, she had to cut through the Samegawa floodplain. However… when she turned her head to look at the river, she noticed the old gentleman from earlier. He was sitting down on the grass and seemed to be enjoying the weather. Megumi thought about leaving him alone, but she felt the need to properly thank him. If there was one thing that she has learned as a child, it is that the elderly must be respected, especially if the respect was shown first.

“…. Hmm?” The old man looked up and noticed Megumi. “We meet again, Miss.”

“Um,” Megumi began to speak. “I-I’m sorry for being rude earlier. Thank you again for returning my cell to me.”

The old man only smiled and nodded gingerly. “You are… quite unusual for a young girl. Your uniform suggests that you go to Yasogami High School, yes?”

“Uh...” Megumi nodded. “Er, wait, I mean, yes.”

He began to chuckle. “You must have parents who taught you how to respect the elderly. I admire that. My name is Hisashi Fujimoto. And what is your name, Miss?”

“… Megumi Ueno. It’s very nice to meet you.” The girl smiled.

The old man seemed to be taken back by her smile, but he began to melt into one. “Megumi-chan… Quite a lovely name for a lovely girl.” Hisashi began to look up at the sky and he whispered something.

“I am… Death...”

Megumi was surprised to hear this from him. But wait, did she hear him right? “I’m sorry?”

“Hm?” Hisashi blinked and looked back at the girl. His smile returned. “I must apologize, Megumi-chan. Do not mind the ramblings of an old fool here. But, you should go ahead and go on home. I'm sure you've better company than me. Take care..."

A new bond was formed.

~*~

**Saturday, July 9th 2011**

 

After a period of sunshine going into the month of July, the rain finally came in at night. Megumi had waited for this to come.

She sat down patiently in her room and waited for midnight to strike. As usual, a thick fog formed outside and the TV buzzed on. Since Rise was rescued, there was nothing appearing. It seemed that the killer was thwarted this time. Would the third time be the last time he would try such a crime? Megumi concluded that she and the rest of the Investigation Team would talk about it the next day.

Little did she know, something horrifying was yet to come...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I am Thou... Thou art I...  
> Thou hast acquired a new bond...  
> It shall bring thee closer to the Truth...
> 
> Thou shall be blessed with the Death Arcana..."


	20. Chapter 19: A New Lease On Life

**Sunday, July 10th 2011**

 

The following morning arrived and it was a Sunday. Megumi began to brush her hair after getting dressed when she heard the unbelievable in the distance – police sirens.

“Huh…?” Megumi blinked in confusion as she looked up. She tried to get a look out of her window, but she couldn’t see anything. _/Did something happen…?/_

Suddenly, her phone pinged loudly and when Megumi checked the ID display, Chie’s name was on it. She answered it and wasted no time about asking what just happened.

“Chie? Did you hear that…?”

“I-I did! They said they found a dead body near the shopping district!”

Megumi’s eyes widened at this realization. _/I-it can’t be…!/_

“I-I don’t get it! I mean, we… I’m pretty sure that we’ve saved Rise-chan, but…!” The short-haired girl had to take a deep breath to calm herself down. “Look, Megumi-chan, we’re all gonna meet at Junes, so come over right away!”

“I’ll be there soon!” Megumi hung up her phone as questions popped up in her head. Her heart also began to weigh heavily. _/_ _W_ _hat the hell is going on…?!/_

~*~

Megumi hurried over to the special headquarters as she sees Chie, Yukiko, and Kanji sitting at their usual spot. The three shared the gray-haired girl's concern about what was happening as they each sported confused looks as well.

“Megumi-chan!” Chie waved her over. “Over here!”

She nodded as she walked over and sat down between Yukiko and Kanji. “Anything new?” She then noticed that someone was missing from the table. “… Where’s Yosuke?”

“He went over to the crime scene to check anything out. He should be back pretty soon,” Chie confirmed.

Just as she finished her sentence, the frantic steps of Yosuke could be heard and he ran up to the table. He tried to catch his breath and speak at the same time, but he gave himself a second. “Yeah. It was murder all right. The body was hanging upside down from the apartment’s rooftop railing…”

“How can that...” Yukiko could barely speak.

“That’s not all.” Yosuke interrupted.

_/… There’s more…? Don’t tell me…!/_

“The victim… It’s King Moron!”

The shock of this news had jolted the team to stand up immediately. Each of their faces began to pale as this piece of news began to sink in.

“K-King Moron…?!” Chie gasped out loud.

“You mean THAT King Moron?!” Kanji asked in disbelief. “You’re talking about you guys’ homeroom teacher, right…?!”

“But… why…?” Megumi asked to no one in particular. “Why is this happening…?!”

“I don’t know, but...” Yosuke had to take a deep breath. “I managed to talk to a guy there that saw it. And there’s no mistaking it...”

“You gotta be shitting me...” Kanji said as his eyebrows knitted downward. “But I thought the killer was targeting people that were shown on TV?”

“Y-yeah...” Megumi spoke up. “I’m pretty sure that I didn’t see him on the Midnight Channel last night… Or any kind of program...”

“I thought we all finally figured some things out,” Chie lamented. “Was it all just a big coincidence…?”

“Maybe the Midnight Channel doesn’t have anything to do with this...” Yukiko said in a disappointed tone.

Yosuke appeared agitated. “Dammit…! All that effort and now we’re back to square one?! Maybe we were in over our heads, trying to find a culprit that even the police couldn’t catch…”

Megumi snapped out of her self-induced funk and looked up at Yosuke and then to the rest of her friends. A part of what he said might be true, but there had to be a reason. There must be a reason why the culprit was getting away with his actions and why she and her friends had the power of Persona in the first place. She shook her head and began to speak again. “Don’t give up, everyone.”

All of her friends looked up to their leader. Megumi continued on with a calm approach. “I do agree that this throws off a lot of what we know… But, it’s too early to give up now. And think about it… We’ve done a lot of good, too.”

“Damn straight, Megumi-senpai!” Kanji found his resolve as he grinned. “If it wasn’t for you and everyone else, I’d be dead by now...”

“Same here,” Yukiko nodded. “And we managed to save Rise-chan, too.”

“Remember why we started the Investigation Team in the first place,” Megumi spoke up. “We all know for a fact that the police are unable to handle this case. If we give up now, we’ll...” She recalled the words of Igor from Spring.

‘ _If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost.’_

“…..” Megumi nodded as she found her strength of heart. “If we give up now, we’ll have thrown away all of our hard work. The killer will be free to do whatever he wants, which may include more murders. We have to press on and find the truth.”

Both Chie and Yosuke stared at the gray-haired girl in awe. Chie remembered when she was saved by Yosuke and Megumi. Despite being told not to rush off on her own, she nearly paid that price in blood as her own Shadow materialized and attacked her. As for Yosuke, Megumi was there when his Shadow appeared. If she had not obtained the power of Persona that same day… He wouldn’t dare think about it.

Kanji seemed to be the most moved by Megumi’s speech. “Yeah… Hell yeah! All that bitching and moaning won’t do shit for us! We’ll just have to keep on keepin’ on!”

“Kanji-kun… Megumi-chan...” Yukiko began to smile, feeling the resolve burning within her.

“… Yeah… You’re right, Megumi,” Yosuke nodded. “We should know who we’re dealing with. We all risked our lives to get this far… There’s no way we’ll back down now!”

“Yosuke...” Megumi smiled, content with the fact that her partner found his resolve.

“Yeah!” Chie chirped, her resolve renewed. “And we all made a promise to Teddie too!” She then realized something. “Oh, that’s right! We should ask him if he noticed anything on his side!”

“Alright,” Megumi nodded. “If it’s decided, we should go visit him. I hope he’s doing alright by now.”

~*~

Right when they entered the electronics department of Junes, Yosuke noticed a few clerks talking to each other. As he inquired them, they asked him about a ‘mascot’. They said that he’s been hanging around the electronics for a while and when asked for his name, it sounded like ‘terry’. When they decided to hand this off to the headphone-clad boy, they walked off.

“Please don’t tell me...” Yosuke warily said.

Megumi blinked. Did Junes adopt a mascot and didn’t tell him about it? Chie turned her head and… “Whoa…! L-look over there!”

The Team followed Chie’s direction and were surprised to find Teddie in a chair with a vibrating function. The bear appeared to be in bliss as he relaxed in the chair. “Ahhhh… That really hit the spot...”

“T-Teddie…?!” Megumi asked as she could barely form any words to her surprise. She and her friends ran over to him.

“What the…?! How did you…?!” Yosuke also couldn’t form any words either.

“Took you guys long enough!" The bear simply said. "I got tired of waiting."

Yukiko appeared confused. “But… How did you get here in our world…? Are you okay here…?!”

“How’d you leave your side…?!” Kanji asked, also confused.

“Of course I can come out! There is an exit. It’s the same one you guys take!” Teddie replied.

“Y-yeah, but...” Megumi tried to wrap this concept around her brain. “How… did you get here?”

Teddie began to giggle. “I just left the same way you guys did! It just never occurred to me to do it myself. But spending time with all of you sparked my curiosity of this world. Before I knew it, my feet began to move and here I am!”

“Oh...” Megumi said and she began to smile. “Well… Sorry that we kept you waiting.”

Yosuke appeared puzzled. “Doesn’t anything faze you, Megumi…?”

“Uh?” The gray-haired girl looked up at the fawn-haired boy. “What do you mean?”

“Mrrrrm!” Teddie grumbled a bit. “At least Sensei is happy to see me here! Oh yeah, someone asked me for my name. So I told them, ‘I’m Teddie’!”

Chie frowned slightly. “So that’s why...”

Yukiko appeared to remember something. “Oh, that’s right! There’s something we need to ask you, Teddie. How long have you been here? Did anyone else enter the other world?”

The bear blinked owlishly. “I stayed on my side until the fog settled in, but I didn’t sense anyone coming in...”

The Team reacted with shock once again. Megumi began to think to herself, with more questions appearing rather than answers.

“You positive?” Yosuke asked. “You didn’t sense anyone there?”

Teddie appeared annoyed. “I just said I didn’t! It was just me back there, like always!”

“And your nose wasn’t clogged or anything?” The boy persisted.

“Grrrr! Weren't you listening?! I was completely 100% alone! That's why I came over here!" The bear began to calm down. "But I can understand if you don't believe me. My senses haven't been very good lately..."

Megumi looked at her friend with earnest eyes. “Well, even if he doesn’t, I believe you.”

“Oh…!” Teddie was happy to hear that from her. “I’ve always known that Megumi-sensei is such a nice person…!”

Yosuke began to grumble under his breath while Chie began to speak up.

“Well, it is true that the Midnight Channel didn’t show anyone last night,” The green jacket girl said. “And since Teddie didn’t sense anyone, would that mean that King Moron was never on the other side?”

Megumi began to think on that. That was beginning to look that way, but...

“Oh! Oh! I wanna go somewhere!” Teddie said excitedly as he jumped off the chair.

“Now?” Kanji asked irritably. “It ain’t the time, dude. Where do you wanna go anyway?”

Teddie grinned as he pulled out a pair of glasses that had a pink and white frame color scheme. “I wanna give these to Rise-chan!”

Megumi received the glasses from Teddie and blinked at them. She then placed them in her jacket pocket. “Would that mean…?”

“I think Rise-chan’ll back us up from now on!” Teddie assured. “And now that I have a Persona and my fur has fully grown back, I can now fight along with you all! This is the new Legend of Teddie!”

“… A new legend…?” Yukiko’s eyes began to sparkle.

“Ugh, not this again...” Chie grumbled.

Megumi nodded as a small smile formed on her lips. “Thank you. I’ll be counting on you, Teddie.”

Teddie began to blush and giggled. “Don’t you worry, Sensei! With enough effort, I'll be even better than Yosuke!"

“What was that?!" The headphone-clad boy responded in anger, which prompted Megumi to blink curiously at him. That came a bit stronger than usual… Or maybe it was just how it was between the two.

All of a sudden, various customers began to crowd around, adoring Teddie’s appearance.

“Uh-oh… People are starting to stare! C’mon, let’s go! And don’t say a word, Ted!” Yosuke ordered as the Team retreated to the rooftop food court.

~*~

When the Team regrouped back onto the rooftop, they began to discuss the case of King Moron again. To confirm, Teddie did not sense anyone in his world before leaving it. That and with the fact that he did not appear in the Midnight Channel, the teenagers concluded that King Moron was never thrown into a TV. The only baffling question was why he was murdered.

When Chie asked the question of why he was never thrown into the TV like the other victims, Megumi suggested that maybe the killer figured out that people were actually being saved from their plight inside of the TV world. Thus, the killer had to change his plans, especially since he was thwarted three times in a row. Unfortunately, Kanji brought up a valuable point. If the killer did commit the act of murdering Morooka, then they would be unable to prevent more murders until the culprit was captured.

They had concluded that the key to solving this would be Rise herself.

“Ugh… It’s so hot in here...”

Megumi noticed that Teddie has begun to sweat a lot more than usual. “Uh… Are you okay?”

“… I think I’m gonna take this off.”

Before Teddie could remove his head, Yosuke shoved it back in. "W-would you quit it?! There are kids watching! The last thing I'd need is for them to be traumatized by a headless mascot!"

“Ugh! But Yosuke…! I’m actually not hollow anymore!”

“… Huh?” Megumi tilted her head to the side.

“I’ve trained and trained so hard that one day I may score with Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, and Megumi-sensei! I actually have an inside now!” Teddie beamed proudly, despite sweating buckets.

“Yeah… Good luck with that,” Chie said flatly as she did not believe him.

Yukiko’s eye began to twitch. “Come on…! Give the whole ‘scoring’ thing a rest!”

“Dude, how’s taking your head off gonna cool you down? You’re empty inside, remember?” Yosuke said as he frowned.

“But I just told you…! I’m not hollow! Ugh… I can’t take it anymore...” Teddie began to reach for his zipper. Before Yosuke could stop him, he successfully unzipped his head off and to everyone’s surprise, there was something inside of him!

“Ah… much better!”

The inside of Teddie revealed a boy with a small physique and bright blonde hair. He slowly opened his eyes, which revealed baby blues. He began to take a drink out of a water bottle and breathed normally.

Everyone was shell-shocked by what just happened, especially the girls. All three of them began to develop a slight blush across their faces.

“Uh… Teddie…?” Megumi was the first to ask.

“Hi, Megumi-sensei,” The boy smiled at her.

“Wh-whoa!” The gray-haired girl jumped in her seat and her hands were instantly brought up to her mouth as her eyes widened. “You weren’t kidding…!”

Teddie’s human form also looked at the other two girls. “Hey, Chie-chan, Yuki-chan...”

“N-no way…!” Chie reacted with her mouth hanging open.

“Uhm… Yes…?” Yukiko finally found the nerve to respond.

“Do you happen to have anything to wear? I’m practically a newborn at the moment...”

“Uh?” Megumi blinked. She then realized what he meant and her blush began to deepen. “N-no…! D-don’t take the bottom part off!”

“Y-you just need some clothes, right? C’mon, let’s go find some,” Chie stammered as she and Yukiko began to escort Teddie away to the menswear of Junes.

“Uh… Megumi-senpai, you okay…?” Kanji had to ask.

“H-huh?!” Megumi blinked. She shook her head and grabbed her water bottle and downed the entirety of it. “It’s just… I’m in shock right now...”

Yosuke wanted to say something about Teddie, but he couldn’t help but snicker at Megumi’s situation right now. “This is hardly the first bizarre thing we’ve seen, but… Megumi, you’re all red.”

Megumi flashed him an annoyed look. “Sh-shut up! It’s just too hot right now!”

Kanji just shook his head. “Don’t feel too bad, Senpai. It’s natural for a chick to react over a half-naked dude--”

“Kanji, you’re not helping!” The girl cleared her throat. “A-anyway! We’re getting way off track! I’m still surprised that is Teddie. Although I’m kind of confused...”

“He was hollow, right?” Kanji spoke up. “How did he ‘grow’ a body in there?”

“What kind of creature does that anyway?” Yosuke said as the serious tone in his voice returned. “What IS he…?”

Megumi shrugged. "At least it'll be better for him to wear normal clothes than a bear costume. But changing the subject, shouldn’t we go get ready to visit Rise?”

~*~

Over at the Shopping District, the trio of Megumi, Yosuke, and Kanji took a pit stop and ate some Topsicles. They figured that since Chie, Yukiko, and Teddie had not returned yet, they would wait for them before they could go visit Rise.

"Mmmhm!" Kanji appeared to be content. "It's finally Topsicle season again!"

“Dude, how many are you going to eat…?” Yosuke looked at the younger boy with a mildly disgusted expression. “You’re gonna get a stomachache...”

“Thanks again, Yosuke,” Megumi beamed as she ate her frozen treat. With the summer blazing now and the fact that she was very flustered earlier, this helped her cool down considerably.

The headphone-clad boy looked over to her. “Well, don’t say that I never treated you.”

“As long as you don't make fun of me for freaking out like that," The girl nodded.

Yosuke would like to agree, but he ended up snickering again. “I have to admit, the way you blush is actually cute.”

“Wh...” Megumi’s eyebrows shot up and her face turned red. She ended up turning away from Yosuke. “Sh-shut up… Can we just drop this…?”

Kanji looked over to them. “Uh… What is up with you--”

"Oh, I can see Chie and Yukiko coming," Megumi said as the two aforementioned girls approached them. The girl managed to shake off her blush before anyone could ask.

“Sorry that we're late!" Chie said as she tried to catch her breath.

“How’d it take you that long to find clothes for Ted?” Yosuke asked as he quirked his eyebrow up.

Before anyone could say anything, Teddie walked up in between Chie and Yukiko. He was now wearing a nice button-up shirt in white, black slacks and shoes and a rose boutonniere attached to his shirt.

“Whoa!” Megumi squeaked at his new appearance. To her, he looked really good. Maybe too good in her opinion.

“I-Is that you, Teddie…?!” Yosuke asked, surprised to see him like this.

“Oui, monsieur!” Teddie said as he sparkled brightly in the sun with his charm. “How do I look?”

The leader blinked once. She could feel her face heating up again. _/Damn, his newfound charm is lethal! Also, since when did he learn French?/_ “Uh… Um… Really nice?”

“Merci, mon cher,” The bear smiled.

Chie frowned. “Uh, Megumi-chan, don’t encourage him. But, I have to say. I was surprised too, but he’s Teddie alright. Everything was new to him, so it turned into a big ordeal. He got so excited in the women’s section and wouldn’t shut up...” She now directed her attention to Teddie. “Just to let you know, you can’t just do whatever you want here! Got it?”

While Teddie frowned, Yukiko decided to back him up. “Well, he can’t help it, Chie. It’s his first time in our world.”

The short-haired girl sighed. “Alright, quit being mopey. You don’t have to get upset, okay? I never said that I won’t forgive you.”

Teddie picked his head back up and smiled once again. “I’m so glad…! I thought you wouldn’t like me anymore.”

“Well, as long as you can behave yourself, you’ll be pretty cute!” Chie grinned.

Megumi giggled a little bit. _/Who’s the encouraging one now?/_

“Oh yeah,” Yosuke suddenly thought of something and decided to give Kanji a 1,000 yen bill. “Go get yourself and Teddie some ice cream.”

“H-huh? Why?” Kanji was bewildered by this sudden act of kindness. “I-I can’t take this! You’ve already treated Megumi-senpai!”

“It’s alright,” The fawn-haired boy grinned. “Think of this as a welcoming present for Teddie.”

“Ohhhh!” Chie grinned as she watched this scene unfold. “I thought there was something different about the way you’re acting, Yosuke. I guess you’re still nice to Teddie, after all.”

Megumi blinked as she tilted her head. She could tell by now that Chie had done something that was probably going to piss Yosuke off.

That prediction came true as the boy became wary of Chie’s words. “… I’m starting to get worried by what you just said.”

“Oh, it’s about Teddie’s clothes, that’s all.” Chie waved him off. “We didn’t have the money, so we charged the rest to you.”

Yosuke’s face just about drained of color before he could muster a response. “You… what?! What the hell, Chie?! I never asked you to foot the bill to me! I just bought a motorcycle, dammit!”

The short-haired girl began to react with anger. “What the heck were we supposed to do?! That stuff was expensive, even for Junes!”

Teddie attempted to defuse the spat between the two. “C’mon, baby, don’t fight ov--”

“Shut up!” Yosuke shouted at the bear. “You better take really, really good care of that outfit! If I find even a single tear, I’ll make your next set of clothes out of the bear hide you came out of!”

Teddie’s jaw dropped as he ran and hide behind Megumi, prompting the girl to look behind her. Yosuke then picked back up his argument with Chie.

“Eh, don’t let it get you down, Ted,” Kanji said as he rolled his eyes. “C’mon, let’s go get some Topsicles.” The bear beamed as he walked off with the first-year.

Yukiko frowned at the situation right before her and Megumi. “Maybe we should get going… It’s going to be a while.”

Megumi began to giggle a bit. Normally, it was Chie who watched her and Yosuke argue, but this change was welcoming. However, she agreed with Yukiko that they had bigger fish to fry. “At least when we argue, it doesn’t get this intense… But anyway. I know how to stop this, Yukiko. Hey, you two!”

“What?!”

Megumi produced a deadpanned look on her face towards Yosuke and Chie when they yelled at her. “If you two are done bickering, we really need to go talk to Rise. We don’t want to lose focus on the case, remember?”

~*~

As the four classmates arrived in front of Marukyu Tofu, the boy with the blue hat walked out of the shop and stopped in his tracks. “Ah, I figured that you were coming.”

Megumi blinked. “You’re that kid that was talking to Kanji before.”

“Yes,” The boy nodded. “I believe that we have not been formally introduced. My name is Naoto Shirogane. I am here to investigate the multiple murders that have occurred here.”

“Oh,” The gray-haired girl squeaked as she appeared puzzled. _/Is this the kid that Uncle and Adachi were talking about the other day?/_

“Mind if I ask you a few questions? It regards the latest victim.”

The four looked at each other as Naoto patiently waited for a reply. What should they say?

“You’re talking about Mister Morooka…?” Yukiko asked.

“That is correct,” Naoto nodded. “Kinshiro Morooka is a teacher at the school you all attend, correct? The public is intrigued by the fact that he is a teacher of the same school the second victim has gone to, but that is actually irrelevant. There is an inconsistency.”

Megumi began to frown. _/And your point is?/_ “What do you mean by that?”

“I am saying that Mister Morooka... has never appeared on television.”

The four teenagers began to feel pressure from the young detective. Did he know more than he let on…?!

“Wh… What’s that got to do with anything…?!” Chie sputtered, trying to stay calm.

“Y-yeah… How’re we suppose to know about that?” Yosuke said, also trying to calm down.

“Well,” Naoto said as he began to turn away. “We’ll leave it at that. I’d like to solve the murders as quickly as possible. I will be keeping my eye on you… Well, then. Until we meet again.” He tipped his hat as he walked away.

Megumi began to feel beads of sweat developing. First her Uncle, now Naoto too? “… Crap.” She began to pinch the bridge of her nose.

“Who is that guy…?” Yosuke asked as he appeared unnerved by what just happened.

“It felt like he completely saw us through,” Chie said as she frowned. “He even mentioned the TV...”

“Oh… Hi.”

Megumi’s head picked up and looked over to the direction of the voice, as did everyone else. There stood Rise, fully recovered from the harrowing events that unfolded weeks ago.

“Rise-chan!” Yukiko shouted as she smiled. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’m doing better,” The idol nodded and she smiled at Megumi. “You kept your promise.”

“I usually do,” Megumi said. “We also wanted to see how you’re doing. We’ve… uh, got a lot to talk about.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Rise nodded. “Let’s go to the shrine. My grandmother is taking care of the shop.”

~*~

During the trip to Tatsuhime shrine, the Investigation Team filled in Rise on what they know about the TV world, Shadows, Personas and how it all connected to the murder cases. At least for the first two victims, as the third one was still new and there was still little information about it.

By the time they reached the shrine, they asked her about how she was kidnapped. Unfortunately for them, it was the same account as with Yukiko and Kanji. She was at home when it happened. However, when she came to, she was in the other world.

Chie groaned. “Still no new information about the killer...”

“Well, we met a weird kid named Naoto not too long ago,” Yosuke spoke up.

Rise began to frown. “Yeah, I’ve met him plenty of times after I came home. He kept asking me about the incident. I didn’t tell him about the other world, though. I don’t think he would believe me. He also asked me about you guys, but I made some stuff up.”

Megumi sighed to herself. She was already not too fond of Naoto already.

“Uhm… I really appreciate what you guys have done for me,” Rise began speaking again but then her smile began to grow big. “Thank you so much! I love you guys!”

Everyone began to blink in confusion. That was a sudden change of tone.

“O-oh, you don’t have to thank us,” Chie said as she began to rub the back of her neck sheepishly.

“Y-yeah, we did what we could,” Megumi added, also feeling sheepish.

In contrast, Yosuke was elated. “Dude… she’s so cute! It’s finally hitting me now, you’re really Risette!”

Megumi glanced a look at Yosuke, but she then backed off. She had to remind herself that he was just happy as a fan, that’s all. But wait, she shouldn’t get worked up over this too.

“W-well I sounded all gloomy because I was stressed out and stuff,” Rise began to explain in a more upbeat tone. “I thought you all wouldn’t like me that way… I don’t sound weird, do I…? Then again, I guess it’s more ‘natural’ to the public.”

Megumi shrugged. “Just do what you think is natural, Rise.”

Rise looked up at Megumi with wide eyes. She then began to nod and smile once again. “Yeah… You’re right. I’ve practically lost touch with who ‘I’ am.”

“You don’t need to force yourself on one personality, Rise-chan,” Yukiko said. “I think everyone has multiple sides."  
  
The idol beamed at the wisdom showered upon her. “Thanks. I’m so glad that I got to know you first when I moved here.”

Yosuke was in a dreamy trance until a realization hit him. “Oh! Megumi, you still got her present?”

“Huh? What present?” The leader blinked until she realized what he was talking about. “… Oh! Oh yeah! The glasses!” She began to dig into her jacket pocket and pulled out the pink frames. “Well, without your help, we’d all be toast a few weeks back. We would really appreciate your aid, but you certainly don’t have to if you want.”

The idol gave her a confused look and then grinned. “What’re you talking about? I think there is a reason why I have this power in the first place, so… I would really like to join you guys.” She then graciously accepted her glasses.

“Think of those as proof that you’re one of us,” Yosuke said as his grin did not falter. “With those glasses, it’s almost like the fog doesn’t exist over there.”

Rise understood and nodded. “I see… Thank you, everyone! And thank you, Megumi-senpai! Now I’m part of the team too!”

It was established that Rise Kujikawa had now joined the team as the supportive member. With her analytical powers bestowed upon her, she may prove to be a valuable asset to the case and the exploration of the strange world. By the time Kanji and Teddie had caught up with the group, they had decided to talk about the third victim over at their headquarters tomorrow. As for Teddie himself, Yosuke had volunteered to take him home in the meantime.

Megumi could not help but smile, despite what happened this morning. The Team had grown even bigger. With that, her heart could not help but soar on hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I am Thou... Thou art I...  
> Thou hast acquired a new bond...  
> It shall bring thee closer to the Truth...
> 
> Thou shall be blessed with the Lovers Arcana..."


	21. Chapter 20: Summertime Shuffle

**Monday, July 11th 2011**

 

The next day arrived and it was a school day. Megumi yawned loudly and then lazily blinked. Since King Moron was no longer with them, who was going to be their new homeroom teacher? Would it actually be someone normal? That would be a shock, as the teachers here were all quirky, some more than others.

“Yo, Megumi!”

“Uh?” Megumi picked her head up and noticed Yosuke by her side. “Oh… mornin’.” She yawned again.

“Didn’t get much sleep last night?” He began to yawn as well. “Actually… me neither. I still can’t believe that King Moron got killed.”

“Yeah...” Megumi agreed. “Wonder who’ll be our new teacher.”

“I bet they won’t find anyone worse than him,” Yosuke said.

“Guess we’ll find out...” The girl said as the two began some small talk.

~*~

Class 2-2 was bustling with activity as the students were all talking about King Moron and the fate of their class. It was not long until the door slid open and the students hurried to take their seats. Walking in was a woman wearing red heels, a purple blouse and skirt set. She also had a lot of makeup on and her hair was shoulder length and brown.

She fluttered her brown eyes and began to speak. “Goooood morning! I’m Noriko Kashiwagi, your new class teacher starting today.”

Megumi blinked a couple times. _/Well, she is different from King Moron… Wait, is her bust hanging out?/_

“You all probably know by now, but since poor Mr. Morooka has passed away...” Kashiwagi broke into a smile. “I’ll be taking good care of you from now on.” She ended that in a giggle.

_/… Uh…/_

During her introduction, she began to rant on about Rise Kujikawa and what it was like to be an adult. Megumi began to sigh to herself. This was not a step up from King Moron after all.

But during the older teacher’s rant, a few students near Megumi began to chat about Rise being on a ‘striptease’. This caught the attention of the gray-haired girl as she eavesdropped on them. The rumors of the Midnight Channel were still spreading. She and her friends need to wrap up this case soon.

~*~

After school rolled in and the Investigation Team met up at their headquarters. Chie had to remind everyone of the upcoming finals that were looming in. However, Rise brightened up the atmosphere by expressing her delight that she already made new friends at Yasogami High.

Yosuke then changed the subject to Morooka’s case. They reviewed what they’ve already learned from yesterday, as it was stated again that the victim had never appeared on the Midnight Channel nor Teddie sensed anyone entering the TV world. Yukiko brought up a question of the motive. Rise tried to answer the question by painting the killer as someone who wouldn’t know his victims. Not in the way he had been targeting the previous ones before. Thus, figuring the motive would be pointless since there was a fact that too many people hold grudges for little to no reason. Megumi could agree to that.

“Y’know...” Yosuke began to speak up. “Somewhere inside, I honestly thought that King Moron was the culprit.”

Chie, Yukiko, and Megumi blinked as they listened in on their classmate.

“I’ve heard that he always said that so-and-so deserves to die and he was a capital-A asshole, but… Now I feel bad for doubting him. This doesn’t justify his death.” He jaw began to tighten. “And not just him… All the victims… I feel sorry for them.”

“Yosuke...” Megumi said quietly, unsure of what to say to him.

“… That’s why...” The fawn-haired boy’s eyebrows began to furrow. “That’s why I can’t forgive the culprit!”

“Yeah,” Chie nodded. “We’ll do what we can! For King Moron’s sake, too!”

“I agree,” Yukiko said.

The others nodded in agreement. Just because one had a reputation for being an awful person did not mean that their life was forfeit. To Megumi, no one ever had the right to choose that for someone else.

“Okay,” Megumi said. “How about we split up and begin to gather infor--”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Heads were picked up and turned to the source of the new voice. It was none other than Naoto Shirogane once again as he walked up to the group.

“Y-you…!” Kanji said as he began to blush a little.

“I will tell you that there is no need to examine Mr. Morooka’s case any further,” Naoto calmly said. “The police has found a suspect. I suggest that you all leave this to them.”

Megumi could hardly believe what the blue-haired detective has just said. “But how…? And how do you know about all this?”

“I am the special investigator assigned to this case, by request of the prefectural police,” Naoto explained.

The Team reacted with surprise, Megumi the most. This confirmed that he was the kid that Adachi was talking about before.

“B-but you said that they found a suspect?!” Chie asked. “Who is it…?!”

“I have not been informed of his name,” Naoto said. “What I do know is that he is a high school student and he does not attend the same school you all go to. The police are confident that this boy is the suspect, as there are testimonies that link him to the crime. It is probably a manner of time before he is apprehended. As soon as this case is solved, your town will return to peace.”

“Okay,” Yosuke said as he began to frown. “But why tell us? Isn’t this all confidential?”

“Your ‘game’ will soon reach its end.” Naoto simply said, with a slightly condescending tone in his voice. “I feel that I should you let you know that, at the very least.”

Megumi felt a hint of anger boiling in her throat. _/Who does this jerk think he is?/_ “What did you say? This is not a game to us.”

“Then you do not deny that you all are involved in this matter?”

 _/….. Crap, I fell right into that./_ The girl had to pick her words more carefully, but it felt like Naoto knew which buttons to push to get the answer he wanted. She chose to remain silent.

“Well, it does not matter,” The blue hat boy simply said. “I have nothing else to say.”

Rise appeared to have felt the same as Megumi as she began to speak up with anger in her tone as well. “You think of this as a game…? Speak for yourself!”

“Excuse me--”

“I don’t care if you’re a special investigator or an amateur sleuth,” The idol did not allow Naoto to speak for a moment. “All you’re doing is solving mysteries. What do you know about us? We’re just high school students. You’re the one who’s playing a game here.”

This gave Yosuke a moment to speak up. “One of the victims… She meant a lot to me. How could I possibly treat this like a game?”

Megumi began to cool down as she looked up to Teddie. “We also made a promise to someone important...”

Teddie was taken back by this as his jaw dropped and his eyes began to water, but he fought back the tears. “M-Megumi… S-sensei...”

“A game...” Naoto scoffed. “That… may be quite true…”

“So why’re you so understanding all of a sudden?” Chie asked.

Yosuke began to grin. “Oh, I see now. You’re so confident that the police will get the suspect that you decide to walk around town like this… Did the police get rid of you now that they have their man? Is that why you’re here talking to us? Are you lonely?”

Naoto, however, did not bend to his teasing. “Detectives aren’t usually involved in making arrests and we keep any emotions in check regarding a case as well. However...” He began to sigh. “It is rather unfortunate that our services are only required when people pay attention. Still...”

Megumi noted the ending note of the blue-haired boy's tone. Was there something more to him then it looked?

“Well, I must be going now. Thank you for letting me humor you all. Now if you excuse me...” The blue-haired boy then turned his heel and walked away.

“Uh...” Chie blinked. “That’s it…? He just came over here to say his piece and that’s just it?”

“I wonder if apprehending the suspect will be enough...” Yukiko mused. “I feel like that there is more to this case...”

“Who knows...” Yosuke sighed.

Megumi began to frown. With this sudden revelation from Naoto and the fact that final exams were closing in, the Investigation Team’s morale was in the pits. “… Let’s just call it a day.”

~*~

**Wednesday, July 13th 2011**

 

The final exams were closing in and suddenly, Megumi found herself in a small situation. Most of her friends began to ask to study with her and it was not just her classmates. Even her kouhai and her senpai had been asking too. With that in mind, she came up with an idea for this dilemma.

“A study party? Over at Junes?” Yosuke asked when he was getting his bag packed up inside of Class 2-2.

“Yeah,” Megumi nodded as she was ready to go. “There’s a lot of people asking me to study with them, and I really don’t want to say no to anyone… So I’m inviting you to come along.”

“Alright,” The boy seemed to be on board with the idea. “So… who’s going?”

~*~

“Whoa!”

A few tables nearby filled up as a surprised Yosuke and Megumi walked up to the group. It consisted of Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Junichi, Suzume, Akari, Ayane, and Yori. Masuhiko revealed to Megumi that while he was touched to be invited, he had other plans. The other person invited did not show up.

“… Where’s Naoki…? He never did tell me that he was coming or not,” Megumi said as she looked around.

“Oh, Konishi-san?” Ayane said, surprised that her senpai knew of him and Rise. “I’m not sure where he may have gone...”

“Yeah, he was quieter than usual today,” Rise said.

Kanji sighed. “I’ll go get him. I know where he is.”

“Ohhh, this is a rare sight,” Akari began to giggle. “Kanji-kun’s gonna help out a fellow that’s friends with Megumicchi?”

“Shut up and don’t call me that!” Kanji began to blush as he crab walked his way out of the group and left. The quirky first-year only giggled in response.

“Hm...” Yori observed his surroundings. “This is a very interesting gathering...”

“I wonder if we can get anything done with a group this large,” Chie said as she appeared unsure.

“Well, at the least, we can get to know Megumi-chan’s other friends better,” Yukiko smiled.

Akari began to yawn loudly as she began to work on her study material. “Oh jeez, why did I agree to this?”

“Because studying with your fellow peers won’t kill you,” Junichi said bluntly.

“Bleh!” The blonde girl stuck out her tongue. “Is that one of the reasons why you’re called the land shark?”

“Uhm… Yori-senpai, I don’t understand this passage...” Ayane spoke up nervously.

“Hm…? May I take a look?” Yori simply placed his notebook down and began to help Ayane.

Rise began to notice this. “Yori-senpai, is it? I think I need help with this formula, please.”

“Oh...” The quiet boy blinked at this sudden moment of attention directed towards him. “Uh… Certainly, just one at a time, please...” Rise began to giggle at the third-year’s sudden bashfulness.

Suzume was unusually quiet as she barely got started on her work. Yukiko noticed this and began to speak, “Is something on your mind, Suzume-chan?”

“Huh?” The braided girl picked her head up.

“Yeah, you’re usually a lot more energetic,” Chie said. “Are you alright?”

“Uh… I hope so, it’s just a lot of stuff has been going on.” Suzume frowned. Megumi noticed this, as she already knew of her friend’s situation.

“Everything’s gonna be okay, Suzume,” The gray-haired girl spoke up.

“Yeah,” Chie said as she smiled and went to Suzume’s side to give her a side hug. “If you ever need to talk to someone, you can talk to me!”

Yukiko also did the same thing as she gave Suzume a hug. “You can also talk to me too.”

The braided girl blinked as she was almost driven to tears. “Th… Thank you…! Megumi-chan is so lucky to have you two as friends…!”

Junichi began to roll his eyes. “If you’re done sporting the waterworks, Hashimoto-san, you need to get crackin’.”

Suzume picked her head up and stuck her tongue out at the land shark. “I don’t know how you’re friends with Megumi-chan.” Junichi only shrugged as he got back to work.

“I found him,” Kanji said as he dragged a reluctant Naoki over. Yosuke began to sink into his chair as he tried to pour his attention to a book.

“Why the hell did you drag me here, Kanji?” Naoki asked with a bitterness in his tone.

“You never did tell Megumi-senpai if you were goin’ or not,” The tall boy grunted as he made his way back to his spot.

“Uh...” Naoki began to look off in one direction. “… This is a larger crowd than I expected...”

“You’re still welcome to join us,” Megumi said as she got up to meet the first-year.

“… Are you sure, Megumi-san?” Naoki frowned. “These are all… Your friends?”

“Surprisingly, yes,” The gray-haired girl said as she nodded. “Some of us may be in different grades, but we’re all in the same boat. We all got finals we need to pass.”

“… I know that.” The gloomy first-year sighed. “It’s just… This is actually the first time I’ve been to Junes since...”

“…. Oh.” Megumi felt a pang in her gut. “I… I’m sorry, this was selfish of me to--”

“No,” Naoki interrupted her. “Actually… Maybe it would be good for me to come here. I made it here, right?”

Megumi was taken back by his progress and a smile formed on her lips. “You’re right. As you can see, I’m also friends with some of the first-years.”

“I can tell...” Naoki noticed the faces of Kanji, Rise, Ayane and Akari as they focused on their material. He then noticed Yori, the only third year, and the other second-years. This also included Yosuke, who tried his best to avoid Naoki. This only surprised the headphone-clad boy when he was approached by Saki’s brother.

“Hey, Yosuke. How’ve you been?”

“H-huh?” Yosuke nearly bolted out of his seat when he noticed that he was being talked to. “Uh… Hey, Naoki. Just studying… I guess...”

The first-year began to chuckle. “I can tell. I’m pretty sure that if you’re stuck on something, you can always ask Megumi-san for help.”

“Uh… S-sure...”

Akari noticed this and began to blurt out, “Does that mean that I get to call him Naokicchi now?”

Naoki produced a deadpan look. “I wouldn’t go that far, Kono-san… But just ‘Naoki’ is fine with me.” He began to walk over to the first years and unpacked his study materials and began to get to work.

Yosuke paused and began to take in his surroundings again. Aside from the people that were in the Investigation Team, there were a lot more people that were friends with Megumi. He also noticed how each of them were different from one another, from the quiet ones like Yori and Ayane to the more outgoing types like Akari and Rise. Even ones like Junichi and Naoki were good friends with her. While a part of him admired Megumi’s magnetism, another part of him felt slightly jealous. How in the world did she become Inaba’s golden girl? He had lived in this town longer than she had, but yet…

“...Yosuke?”

“H-huh?” The boy’s train of thought was broken by the girl in question. “Uh...”

Megumi decided to peek into Yosuke’s book to see his progress. To her dismay, however, this page looked familiar. “I thought we went over that...”

“Uh… We did, but...” Yosuke scrambled to find an answer in his brain, but he failed to come up with an answer.

“You’re not slacking off, are you?”

A few pairs of eyes couldn’t help but look towards the direction of the two. Rise and Suzume had to stifle some giggles. As soon as Megumi and Yosuke looked up from the book, the various pairs of eyes quickly went back to their work.

The only one who was focused was Junichi, who only cleared his throat. “Maybe Hanamura needs a different tutor--” His phone interrupted him by ringing. Once he picked it up and looked at it, he frowned and pressed a button on it to silent it. It was not long until it rang again and his eyes began to narrow. “You’re kidding...”

“Is everything alright, Junichi-kun?” Yukiko asked.

“It’s fine, Amagi-san.” He pressed the button on his phone again and placed it down. Before he could even get back to studying, the object began to ring again. Irritated, he opened the phone and spoke in a blunt tone. “Stop calling me, I’m busy.” He then hung up and went back to work.

It was only about ten seconds later that the phone came alive once again. Junichi had enough of the offending object as he was visibly angry. “Shut the hell up!” He then picked up his phone and threw it over the railing of the rooftop.

Everyone was surprised by what just happened as awkward silence hung in the air.

“H-hey! There’s people coming and going, you idiot!” Yosuke stammered. “What if that hit someone’s head?!”

“Junichi, I don’t think that was a good idea,” Megumi said. She, along with everyone else, got up from their seats and tried to find the phone from their location. The girl noticed that Masuhiko was standing near an object and looked puzzled by it. He then looked up and noticed the group looking at him and the phone.

“Ah, Megumi-san! It seems that Sasaki’s phone is broken! I’m on my way!” The student council president then picked up the pieces of the phone and began to walk inside of the Junes building.

“Dude, your phone broke,” Kanji said as he looked over his shoulder.

“I don’t care,” Junichi grumbled as he tried to stay focused.

“But man, talk about wasting that shark phone strap...” Akari sighed in irritation.

“… Wait, Kamiya-senpai is coming here?” Suzume began to blush. She turned her head and then quickly looked down and away from him as soon as he reached his destination.

“I thought you weren’t going to join us?” Megumi asked as the Student Council President walked up to them.

“Well...” Masuhiko began to smile. “I was told by a little birdie that you have quite a number of lady friends, so I had to see for myself.”

Yori began to chuckle. “I see that you’re still up to no good, Kamiya-san.”

Masuhiko laughed in return. “Why, it’s Ikari-san! I’m surprised to see you here among all of our kouhai.” He then nodded to himself as if he made a decision. “Well, fear not. I’ll be a good senpai and help you all as well. I also admire how everyone is taking their studies seriously. It must be Megumi-san’s handiwork.”

“Uh?” Megumi chuckled nervously as she tried to downplay the compliment. “We’re all students with exams coming, so...”

Yosuke began to slightly frown. Even the Student Council President too? At this point, he couldn’t tell if he was jealous of Megumi’s attention going in many directions or he struggled to accept the fact that a city girl was just about friends with everyone.

If he ever needed proof that there were girls who were extremely social and well-liked, Megumi was such.

~*~

**Friday, July 15th 2011**

  
Being a student was not an easy feat. In the case of Megumi and some of her friends, being Persona-users who bore the power to investigate a dangerous world was not any better. The team leader was also juggling her social life on top of all this.

However, there were some students who were truly gifted and had taken on much more responsibility, minus the unique circumstances that involved battles, Personas, and TVs. Akari came to mind, as she wanted to ‘skip’ high school and go straight to a life of college. But she knew a lot better, as she must work hard to reach her goal first. Megumi admired this tenacity from her friend, as she was still unsure about what she would like to do once she reached that stage in life.

However, the gray-haired girl began to notice that Akari was becoming more difficult to approach. Ever since the study party, her behavior had become more irrational and she had moments where she was prone to snapping at someone. This began at the daycare a couple days after the study party, where Eri was talking Megumi’s ear off once again.

“- and it’s amazing because there really is a higher power. That is why I’m still holding on, Megumi-chan.” Eri smiled gently, although her eyes were tired.

“It’s good to rely on something like faith, Minami-san,” Megumi nodded sagely. While she was not a religious person herself, she would like to believe that there was a higher power somewhere out there. If anything, that provided some degree of comfort to Nanako when she asked if her mother was an angel up in heaven.

The older woman began to look up at the cloudy skies, taking in the sun’s rays. “I hope… that whoever is out there, watching over us… I hope they heard my prayers about Yuu-kun...”

A loud sigh could be heard and Megumi caught it within earshot. She looked over her shoulder and noticed a rather irritated Akari crossing her arms.

“Prayer is not enough,” the blonde girl said in a disgruntled tone.

“Huh…?” Eri became bewildered by Akari’s blunt approach.

Megumi raised an eyebrow as she did not expect this from her friend. “Akari…?”

“If you want something in your life, you have to work for it,” the first-year began with a serious tone. “Sitting around and praying does not work, especially if you’re just complaining. It’s even worse when you’re also doing nothing about it.”

Eri initially became silent by the heavy atmosphere. “Wh-what do you-”

“I’m saying that you’re a horrible mother, Eri Minami.”

“Wh- Akari!” Megumi was becoming agitated by her friend’s blunt approach. “That’s going too far!”

“What, you’re defending her, Megumi?” Akari turned her attention to the gray-haired girl, her voice laced with rising anger. “It’s always been the same thing ever since she entered Yuu-kun’s life! She’s always complaining about living out here in Inaba and how her husband is an inconsiderate jerk and how Yuu-kun always ignores her and shit! I don’t know about you, but this is getting really old.”

“If you have a problem with that, you should talk to her, then!” Megumi argued back.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” One of the daycare supervisors walked over to the trio. “Megumi-chan, Akari-chan, what is the matter?”

Before Megumi even had a chance to apologize, Akari spoke up. “You don’t have anything to worry about. I quit.” She said with conviction while removing her apron.

“… Huh?” Megumi looked at her friend for a moment. “Are you seri-”

“Yes,” The blonde girl snapped at her friend. “Yes, I am.” She tossed her apron unceremoniously while walking away.

“… Uh… Oh… Um...” Eri wasn’t sure to say anything at this point as she became saddened by the situation. “….. I did not know that my actions were making some people so angry. I’m so sorry that-”

“No, Minami-san,” Megumi stopped the older woman. “Don’t blame yourself. I’ll talk to Akari after everyone else is picked up.”

Eri then noticed that Yuuta was standing still while keeping his gaze at Akari’s old spot. “… Will Akari-nee-san be okay…? She’s not quitting… Is she…?”

One of the supervisors bit her lip as she tried to think of what to say to him. “Now, Yuu-kun… It’ll be okay. We’ll ask Akari-chan if she will come back, okay?”

~*~

It was later in the evening when Megumi figured out where Akari would be. She spotted the blonde girl leaving Junes with a foul look on her face. It was clear that she was still angered by the events earlier.

“Akari!” Megumi called her out.

Akari picked up her head and her scowl deepened when she recognized who had called her out. “What do you want? I’m not in the mood.”

The gray-haired girl frowned as she was taken back by this display of aggression. “What’s your problem? I know that you don’t hold a lot of respect for Minami-san, but you didn’t have to bite her head off like that.”

“Piss off,” The blonde grumbled while trying to walk away. “I don’t need you to lecture me like everyone else!”

Megumi stopped herself before saying something else when she heard those words coming out of Akari’s mouth. “… Wait, what do you mean-”

“I have to be the best,” Akari said as she looked over her shoulder at Megumi. “I have to be on the top of my class and I can’t let anything distract me from here on out. Just… Just leave me alone!” She picked up her pace and walked off.

Megumi stood dumbfounded by this conversation. What had got into her? What was making her act like this? It couldn’t be something that was fairly last minute like the exams, so what was causing her behavior to change like that? Unfortunately, she had to give her friend some space for now. All the gray-haired girl could do was hope that her friend would be okay until then.

~*~

**Saturday, July 23rd 2011**

 

The week of dread came and went. Megumi managed to survive the test week alongside her classmates. Out of her friends in her class, the only ones that appeared to have been unscathed by the exams were Yukiko and Junichi. Speaking of the class rep, Megumi had to wonder how he was doing after his dramatic outburst during the study party.

It was the following school day when Megumi got the chance to invite Junichi to lunch on the school rooftop. He appeared to have calmed down since, but there were still plenty of things weighing on his mind.

“….. You made broiled fish?” Junichi looked down at the contents of the bento box.

“I know you like fish,” Megumi said while digging into her lunch. “You’re always bugging me about making you some, so here you go.”

The land shark was initially silent as he kept his eyes on his food. He eventually surrendered and begin to dig into the bento box. To his delight, it was very good. “… Damn. You really are a good cook.”

Megumi gave him a side glance. “Well, learning a thing or two in the kitchen helps.”

“Yeah,” Junichi nodded. “… Though, if you keep making me food like this, people will start to get the wrong idea.”

“Uh?” Her face changed to a surprise mixed with confusion. “What’s wrong with making food for friends?”

“That’s not what I’m trying to say that’s wrong,” Junichi corrected himself. “But, well… I kind of missed my window of opportunity. Besides, you’re more popular than you think.”

“Uh… Okay?” Megumi blinked at his words. “So anyway, I assume you got a new phone now.”

“Kind of have no choice,” Junichi pulled out a new model for Megumi to see. “It’d be hard to get a hold of someone without one of these around. I haven’t given the old hag my new number yet, though...”

“… You don’t want to?”

“….. I’d think my life would be a lot easier if I just stopped worrying about the family that I cared for,” The land shark sighed as he put his phone up and resumed eating. “But then again, that’s what I’ve been doing and well, you saw what happened. It came back and bit me in the ass.”

Megumi began to frown. “You should do something about it.”

It was Junichi’s turn to stop eating and look at his friend. “Funny that you mentioned that, my family told me to get my head out of my ass when I got my new phone. They know what’s going on and apparently, they’re tired of both of our shit. So, they decided to do something about it by making me and my mom come visit them during summer vacation.”

“Really?” Megumi was surprised to hear this turn of events. Even the rest of his family was getting involved? If things were to continue like that for Junichi, it might not have ended well. “Maybe… This is your chance.”

Junichi returned an odd look at his friend. “Chance for what?”

“Going to see your family would mean the chance to see your sister again, right? I really can’t say anything about trying to make amends with your mother, but at least you can have that chance with your sister. You should go.”

“….. If I didn’t know you already, I’d probably think you’re insane. But... You already know what’s going on, but...”

“But what?” Megumi asked. “What do you have left to lose, Junichi?”

“…..” His blood began to freeze as her words sunk in. Before he could say anything else, he calmed himself by taking deep breaths and organizing his thoughts. Megumi gave him as much time as she could until he was able to speak again. “… What do I got left to lose…? Pride, maybe… But that isn’t worth a damn if I can’t see her again...”

“So, what’re you gonna do? Are you going to try to fix things or not?”

“…..” Junichi took the last bite out of his lunch and swallowed it down dryly. He then placed the plastic box down and stood up. He began to take a few steps forward and looked at the expansive blue sky. “….. Yeah. No more screwing around. I’m gonna be out of town during summer vacation, but I’m gonna try to fix things, Ueno- … No, Megumi-san.” He then turned to her and a determined expression was fixed on his face. “I can’t promise anything, but believe me when I said that I’m gonna try my best.”

“I believe you,” Megumi stood up and went to his side. She did not hesitate to place her hand on his shoulder. “I know you can do it.”

~*~

**Monday, July 25th 2011**

 

“So it’s decided then? Let’s all go to the beach next month!”

Yosuke made the declaration as the Investigation Team decided to make plans for summer vacation by visiting the beach that was little ways away from Inaba. Fortunately, it was accessible via scooters and Rise, Chie, and Yukiko was encouraged to apply for their scooter licenses. When Megumi asked Kanji, he insisted that he was able to catch up with them on his bicycle. As for Teddie, they would figure out what they would need to do for him. However, Yukiko had seemed to be set on outfitting him with roller skates.

By the time the conversation ended, Suzume opened the squeaky door in a quick motion. This caused some of the lingering students, including Megumi and her friends, to pick their heads up to the source of the noise.

“Megumi-chan!” Suzume shouted as she ran over to her friend. “Sorry, but I need you right away!”

“What’s wrong, Suzume-chan?” Yukiko asked.

“Sorry… I promise I’ll tell you when I get the chance,” The braided girl said apologetically.

“Uh...” She looked at her friends, who simply nodded since they had already finalized their plans. “… Alright, Suzume.”

After she said her good-bye to her friends, she walked out of the classroom with Suzume. She turned her head to the tennis player. “Where’re we going? There isn’t practice today.”

“I know,” Suzume said. “We’re going back to the hospital. I, uhm… I need your help again.”

Megumi blinked once but she complied. It appeared that Suzume was still making peace with her aunt. Although the last time she heard about this developing story, they had appeared to be rebuilding their bond. Despite that, there was still a ways to go for this difficult journey.

Things took a very different turn once they had reached the hospital. Suzume did not expect to see her parents there, who had revealed that it was her aunt who had reached out to them. All three went to visit her while Megumi waited patiently outside of the room. She asked if she was being intrusive, but Suzume insisted on her staying.

After about an hour, the braided girl walked out of the room by herself. Her face was initially unreadable as Megumi became worried for her. “… Suzume…? You alright?”

“….. M-Megumi-chan...” Suzume’s eyes began to well up with tears. “….. I still can’t believe what just happened… I’m so…! I’m so…!” She began to hiccup as tears fell freely from her face.

“C’mon, sit down over here,” Megumi helped her friend to a free seat next to her and she allowed her shoulder to be used. After allowing her to cry her feelings out, the gray-haired girl spoke up. “So… What happened?”

“….. Good news or bad news?” Suzume asked.

“Let’s start with bad first.”

“Okay… I think that’s a good idea, anyway,” Suzume sniffled. She then straightened up her back and took a deep breath. “Aunt Keiko has to stay here a little longer… She was in bad shape when she first came in, but she’s doing better. The doctor said that she still needs some time, but she is recovering.”

“That’s pretty much half-bad news, but if that’s the worst you got, then what’s the good news?” Megumi raised an eyebrow as she asked.

“…..” Suzume began to smile brightly as her eyes watered again. “… My dad has accepted a job transfer… Out here to Inaba… After what he and my mom found out about Aunt Keiko, he became worried about us. It might not bring as much money as it use to, but… What’s the point of having more money if it means having to be away from family…?”

Megumi blinked once, but she knew that her friend had a point. Knowing her, she would probably work even harder to help them as much as she could.

“….. It’ll be alright, Megumi-chan,” Suzume smiled and a single tear fell over her cheek. “… I’ll work hard to help my parents and my aunt. That doesn’t mean that I’ve quit the one thing I love, though. I don’t think I’ll hear the end of it from them if I do, haha.” It may have felt like eons since then, but the braided girl was finally able to laugh from the bottom of her heart.

Megumi couldn’t help but chuckle along with her friend. She then patted her friend’s back. “Yeah… the tennis club would be awfully lost without you.”

~*~

**Tuesday, July 26th 2011**

 

The next day had passed and the Investigation Team did not hear any news regarding the revelation Naoto dropped on them before. Despite that, the teenagers felt that their work was not over. If the police had not made their move yet, would that mean that the killer would stand a chance to strike? All they could do was wait for the Midnight Channel to strike.

It was one night when it rained outside. The once silent TV came alive at midnight and with no warning, a teenage boy who looked very familiar to Megumi appeared in a vivid picture. His eyes appeared hollow as he uttered the very words the girl would not forget anytime soon.

“….. Try and catch me...”

 


	22. Chapter 21: Who Wants To Be Lonely

**Wednesday, July 27th 2011**

 

Summer vacation had officially begun. In the case of the Investigation Team, however, a person was revealed to be inside the TV world. When that broadcast ended, Megumi’s phone line was jammed as everyone was trying to call her at the same time. Yosuke and Teddie were the successful pair that reached out to her, with Teddie being able to see for himself the Midnight Channel. He had confirmed that no one was recording anything as the set-up that made up the strange areas were from those who had suppressed thoughts and feelings.

The next day had rolled in and the teenagers held a meeting at their headquarters in Junes to discuss the situation. As Megumi was the last person to arrive, Rise and Teddie were missing from the group. Yosuke affirmed that the two were scouting in the TV world and the rest could begin the meeting without them.

“So… who was that guy?” Megumi asked. “There wasn’t any blurry images either.”

“I also didn’t see him on any news programs recently,” Yosuke frowned. “He looked like our age, too… I don’t think he goes to our school.”

“The shit he said last night...” Kanji trailed off with anger in his voice. “Didja hear that? Shit pissed me off so bad… Even the way he looked too.”

“He said ‘try and catch me’,” Yosuke said. “… Wouldn’t that mean that he’s the culprit?”

The other teenagers began to ponder further. Why else would someone like that appear on the Midnight Channel and say something like those words the boy uttered? It was then that it hit Chie as she looked at Yukiko. “Hey…! Yukiko! Do you remember that creepy guy from back in April?!”

Megumi blinked once until the memory flashed before her. She did recall a boy that did not wear the Yasogami uniform approaching her, Chie, and Yukiko before they were able to leave the school…

“Um...” Yukiko tried to recall the memory, but she struggled to pinpoint the details. “There was a boy involved… Right?”

“… Yeah… Oh!” Megumi’s eyes widened as it all came back to her. “I was wondering why he looked familiar! Yukiko, that boy is the same one that asked you out on a date!”

“I couldn’t forget that one if I wanted to,” Chie grimaced. “It was all just so creepy and over the top...”

“… You’re… You’re right,” Yukiko confirmed as her face began to pale. “….. But why…? Why would he do something like this…?”

“The only thing we can do is confront him,” Yosuke said as his eyebrows began to furrow. “Once we know that he’s over there, we’ll put an end to all of this.”

The Investigation Team nodded in agreement, as determination filled their eyes. For Megumi, however, a small voice in the deepest of her subconscious began to cast doubt on her.

_/After we stop him… What then?/_

Megumi’s mind began to wander, as past memories were brought up. Every time she moved to a new place and called it home, she made some new friends. However, they would eventually drift apart due to her moving to another new place again. It was a vicious cycle and it kept going even to this day. Would this mean that the memories she made here in Inaba were no different? After the culprit was apprehended, what then? It was true that she would be able to live as a normal schoolgirl, but for some reason, it made Megumi’s heart weigh like lead.

She had her closest friends now, but what about later? Was she always destined for this kind of fate?

“… Megumi? Yo, Megumi!”

“H-huh?” The gray-haired girl popped her head up and she noticed that everyone was looking at her, including Rise and Teddie, who had returned without her noticing.

“You alright, Senpai?” Kanji asked.

“You looked like you were in deep thought, Sensei,” Teddie piped up.

“… Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Megumi tried to reassure them. “Did you two find anything?”

Rise sadly shook her head. “There’s too little information to go on. But we can confirm that there is someone inside that place.”

“Well, that’s a start,” Megumi said as she got up from her seat. “I guess we’ll have to gather information again. Let’s do this.”

~*~

During this crucial moment, Megumi followed Kanji’s suggestion and managed to find a certain police detective goofing off at his usual meeting spot. Adachi was minding his own business until the teenage girl casually mentioned Dojima’s name to see if the lanky detective would spill anything. To her luck, Adachi mentioned that some third-years that were not from Yasogami were seen around town.

When Megumi walked over to the Shopping District, Yosuke was waiting for her. The girl could not help but become curious as she walked up to him.

“Did you find anything?” The girl asked.

“Well, not really, but...” Yosuke’s expression became serious as he looked at Megumi. “I know that we have a job to do, but are you doing alright, Megumi?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well, I know that it’s probably none of my business, but,” The fawn-haired boy began to rub the back of his neck as he was trying to find the right words. “You seem… kinda off.”

Megumi raised her eyebrow as she blinked once in confusion. “I’m doing fine… Don’t worry about me, Yosuke.”

She could see that his jaw had visibly tightened, but the boy was being careful in his choice of words. “Well… I’m just gonna put it out here. If you ever need to talk or something, you can always rely on me, y’know?” He then darted his eyes to the side and slightly blushed.

The girl had to take a moment to process this information. This seemed different, but there was no time for this kind of thinking. She only nodded and gave a small but uneasy smile. This did little to reassure Yosuke, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to get anything more out of her.

“Heyyyy!”

An unknown voice spoke up and the two teenagers turned and met a third-year student from a different school. He had dyed golden brown hair and had his bag with him.

“Don’t you two go to Yaso High?” The boy asked.

“Uh… Yeah,” Megumi replied.

“Well, I don’t know if you’ve seen Kubo around. I’ve been told that he’s around here, but my buddies and I can’t see to find him.”

Yosuke then thought of something. “Doesn’t this Kubo have dark hair and dark eyes?”

“Yeah!” The student confirmed as he grinned. “I didn’t realize that he was well-known here! Well, I have his yearbook picture. If you find him, tell him that he needs to swing by our school.” He then gave a picture to Megumi before he left.

Both teenagers studied the picture. The student displayed in it had dark unkempt hair, a vacant stare in his black eyes and his overall demeanor gave off a creepy vibe. A name was printed underneath, ‘Mitsuo Kubo’.

Yosuke’s visage hardened when a realization hit him. “… That’s...”

Megumi only nodded. “Yeah… I think that’s him.”

~*~

The Investigation Team gathered in the lobby of the TV World as everyone looked at the photo. The general consensus began to fall into place as each of them realized who they were dealing with.

“Yep,” Chie said as she frowned. “It is that guy, Yukiko! But… Why would he target you--” Her eyes began to widen. “D-did he kidnap you to get revenge?! Just because you rejected him?!”

Yukiko seemed to have thought otherwise. “But I didn’t really reject him… Did I?”

“Now that I think about it,” Rise spoke up. “He has been to the tofu shop before. He was ranting something about biker gangs, but I tuned him out because he just wouldn’t shut up...” A stray thought then hit her as her eyes widened. “… W-was that why I was kidnapped?!”

Kanji then noticed his senpai looking over at him. “Wh-what?” Suddenly, he then realized why they directed their looks at him. “… The hell?! I’m not in a biker gang! Ugh, that goddamn news report… So that’s why that asshole targeted me!”

“Well, we’ll corner him this time,” Yosuke said. “And once he confesses to his crimes, this case is as good as solved!”

Everyone else agreed with this sentiment, including Megumi. However, the same voice bubbled up within her and this time, it was more clear.

_/If this case is solved… What would the near future hold?/_

Megumi began to frown as her doubts tried to surface again. She could not let them rise up, however. This was not a good time to mull over something like this. Her friends would still want her around after this confrontation… Right?

~*~

Once Rise had Himiko pinpoint Mitsuo’s location, the Team mobilized and walked over to a new area inside of the TV World. The area was strange like previous locations, but this time, the entrance had an appearance of a dungeon that came straight from a video game.

“Why is this area so jagged?” Chie asked. “Is this from a game…?”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Megumi said as she frowned. “Thinking of all this as a game… Makes sense.”

The short-haired girl growled in frustration. “Who the hell does this guy think he is?! Ugh, I sentence that scumbag to a hundred kicks to the face!”

Megumi looked up at the scenery. They were all so close. This was really the end of it. Despite the doubts clawing their way out of the recesses of her mind, she had to forcefully shove them back down. Everything was going to be okay, she told herself over and over. She wordlessly began to march forward, leading everyone inside.

However, Yosuke could not help but be worried about the illustrious leader… He could tell that despite her reassurances, she was not okay.

~*~

The raid of the dungeon began normal enough, as the Team engaged the Shadows in the usual fashion. Teddie proved his worth on the front lines by unleashing powerful ice spells with Kintoki-Douji. Rise’s analytical skills also proved to be valuable as she guided the party with more organization then Teddie ever did. However, Megumi could not help but be uneasy about all of this. The doubting voices were ringing during combat as well, telling her the same thing.

_/All of this will be the same thing… Over and over again… This is no different./_

“… Sh-shut up!” The gray-haired girl shouted as she summoned a demonic snow creature that was black in appearance. Black Frost unleashed powerful fire spells against a hoard of Shadows, effectively destroying them.

The Team was taken back by this sudden outburst. Did any of them say anything? Yosuke could not hide his concern as he looked at Megumi.

“… Megumi-chan…?” Yukiko asked warily.

“Megumi-senpai, are you alright?!” Rise shouted, her voice laced with concern.

Megumi chose to ignore that question. Instead, she decided to try to find the source of the voice. “Rise, do you sense Mitsuo or anyone else speaking?”

“… Um...” The idol attempted to scan the area, but she shook her head. “No good… It’s all quiet-- Huh?!”

“Wh-what is it, Rise-chan?!” Chie asked.

“… I can hear him...” Rise said as she began to look around frantically. “… Can you all hear him?!”

A voice began to ring in the air, in a low rumble. It sounded familiar as it belonged to the young man that appeared on the Midnight Channel.

_‘That’s right… I killed them. I killed that stupid announcer lady! And that Konishi bitch! And that bastard Morooka!'_

Kanji’s eyes began to narrow dangerously. “That son of a bitch…!”

Yosuke gritted his teeth as he realized that he would be facing Saki’s killer soon. But then, there was the subject of Megumi. He looked over to her again and her face was stiffened with determination. She was eager to stop him as well, but…

As the Team progressed further into the dungeon, an oversized old fashioned box TV came to life on the wall. It was impossible to ignore given the size, but the contents displayed shook the team. The images projected two teenage boys who were identical. The teenagers immediately recognized one of them as Mitsuo Kubo himself.

‘Wh-why won’t you say something?! Answer me, dammit!!’ Mitsuo shouted at the mirror image of himself, who was simply sitting down and focused his attention on the video game he was playing instead.

“… Is that the killer…?” Chie asked to no one in particular.

“W-wait,” Teddie spoke up as he was befuddled by the imagery. “Which one is the Shadow? The shouting one looks normal, but...”

Megumi could see what the bear meant, as the one shouting was the normal Mitsuo. Oddly enough, he was confessing to the murders. Was there nothing for him to hide? If that was the case, then why was his other self ignoring him?

It was then that the other Mitsuo began to breathe heavily, the distorted rasps sending chills down Megumi’s spine. He slowly turned his head up and directed his golden gaze on Mitsuo himself.

‘…. I… am nothing… I have nothing… You… are me...’

This struck Megumi’s core hard as her eyes began to widen. Fear was setting in and at the same time, the voices within grew louder. She involuntarily backed away from the TV, which Yosuke noticed this first. It was this moment that he knew that something was very wrong and Megumi could no longer conceal it. “M-Megumi?”

The girl did not respond as the fear on her face was very clear. Unfortunately, she accidentally stepped onto a stray brick and it gave in. A pitfall opened up behind her and her footing slipped, prompting her to fall backward. “Ah…!”

“Megumi!” Yosuke sprung into action as he tried to reach out for her hand.

“H-help!” The girl shouted as she saw his hand reaching out to her. But it was too late, as she began to fall in, yelling out in fear.

“Megumi-chan!”

“Megumi-senpai!!”

“Sensei!!”

“Megumi…!!”

~*~

The battle was over.

Before Megumi could even think about it, the suspect was apprehended and hauled away by the police. The Investigation Team seemed pleased about their latest accomplishment. As much as she was relieved that their long struggle was finally over, the girl could not help but feel that the battle was anti-climatic. The strange thing was that the details were lost on her. Was there something important she should have recalled…?

Her friends ended up reassuring her that it did not matter. What was important was that the suspect was finally captured and the teenagers had fulfilled Teddie’s promise. When they all thought that he would stay in their world, he had returned to the TV world instead. He did not say anything to anyone, but he left a note behind at Yosuke’s house.

‘ _I’ve gone back to my own world. This place needs me now more than ever. Everyone… thank you so much. - Teddie’_

Megumi was dismayed over the fact that the bear was gone. With the suspect captured, the murders had ended and there was no real reason for Teddie to stay any longer. Was that his reason, though? She wished she could’ve asked him, but that opportunity was dashed. Regardless, life continued on as she and her friends stayed together.

However, Megumi’s inner fears began to surface even further as time had passed.

The next person the gray-haired girl lost contact with was with Rise. Without any warning, she and her grandmother up and moved out of their home and of Inaba. Megumi and Yosuke went to visit her to see if the rumors of her moving were true. The sad part was that she did not even bother to let anyone know. When Megumi tried to dial Rise’s phone number, she was denied by a loud beep and the following message.

‘ _The number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please hang up and try your call again.’_

A month advanced without anything noteworthy happening. During one afternoon, Megumi was about to walk into Aiya for a snack. However, she overheard Kanji complaining loudly to Naoki about a certain group of people that he may have once called friends…

‘ _What the hell’s the point if there’s nothing to talk about anymore? We don’t even go out and do cool shit anymore. The worst part was that all that nice talking was really exhausting.’_

 _/….. Oh./_ Megumi began to frown as she changed her mind about entering Aiya.

Another month had passed, again without any fanfare. Megumi realized that Chie and Yukiko were leaving her out more than usual. This hit home during one afternoon after school when she passed by the library. She noticed that the inseparable duo had their study books open and they were talking to Suzume and Junichi. It appeared that all four of them were studying for college entrance exams along with their usual chatter.

‘ _Y’know, I’ve realized how important my time is. I mean, we’re not gonna be in high school forever. By the time we become third-years, we really got to stay focused!’_

‘ _You’re right, Chie. It’s already exhausting enough trying to deal with life as it is. Let’s try to enter the same college together, okay?’_

Megumi thought about entering the library, but her body refused to move forward. She already felt that she was a bother to them, as well as her other friends. She decided to leave them be and head home. However, things at home were not any better as Nanako regressed back into her old habits. Instead of relying on her big sister, she instead asked about her friends. This made Megumi feel even worse.

Yet another month had come and gone. Megumi felt even lonelier than ever, as none of her friends ever had time for her anymore. Not even Yosuke, who actually went out of his way to visit her when she was by herself at the old table the Investigation Team used before. Before he could excuse himself, the girl stopped him by asking if he ever thought about jumping back into the TV world to visit Teddie. He replied to her with a dismissive tone.

‘ _Nah. I’m already done with all that. There’s no real reason for something like that anymore. Besides, I got bigger things to worry about, like college. Shouldn’t you be worried about the entrance exams too? I mean, you are moving back to Nakano in a few months, aren’t you? We’ll both be too busy for each other, so...’_

 _/….. Too busy…/_ For some reason, hearing those words from the headphone-clad boy caused Megumi’s heart to sting. Even he was too busy for her. She decided to drop the subject, allowing Yosuke to get back to work. When the boy was out of sight, the girl sighed as sadness overtook her. She then noticed some teardrops rolling down her cheeks, which she promptly wiped them away with the sleeve of her school uniform.

Later in the same day, it was night time as the rain pattered outside. Megumi was in her sleepwear and she had taken down her circle tails, but she was restless. Instead of sleeping, she waited for the Midnight Channel to strike. If that were to happen, then there would be a reason for the Investigation Team to reunite. At least, that was what she had hoped for. But nothing happened, as her TV screen remained off.

“….. Why…?” She began to rise up from her sofa in a desperate attempt to stick her hand inside of her TV. However, she hit the cool glass of the screen. Her hand was not going through like it had before. She began to back up and wore a puzzled look on her face. “… But why…?”

‘I am nothing...’

Megumi gasped out loud as she heard an eerie voice echo in her room. When she turned her head to the source with caution, she saw the unbelievable. It was a Shadow, but it looked much different from the previous ones she had encountered before. It had the appearance of a giant baby with a floating halo that was made up of computer code. It also shared the same voice as Mitsuo Kubo, except the tone of voice was hollow and distorted.

‘I am… a Shadow...’

Fear began to overtake the girl again as she slowly backed away from it. “How is it on this side…?!”

‘Everything… is meaningless… Friendship is but an illusion… Nothing matters anymore...’

Megumi’s eyes widened as she realized this monster shared the same sentiments as the doubts that had manifested in these past several months. Although her will was buckling beneath the weight of it all, she attempted to be brave and face it head on. “Shut up…! Just shut up! Persona!” She had her hand reach forward in an attempt to crush a tarot card to summon Izanagi, but the card was blank. “Wh-what?! What’s happening…?! Persona!” She made another attempt to summon a different Persona with a different arcana, but again, nothing happened. The desperation reached a fever pitch as she tried again multiple times.

‘… Do you not want to be at ease…? You are like me… You are worthless...’

Upon the final time she attempted to summon Izanagi, nothing happened as Megumi’s will began to tremble. She then noticed that the giant Shadow was coming towards her with its hands reaching out to her. Her nerves were wracked with panic as she started to walk backward again. “N… No! No, you’re wrong! I’m not--”

Before she could finish, the baby grabbed her by the throat with both of its hands. Megumi began to suffocate as the monster clamped down onto her windpipe. She struggled to breathe as she began to claw its arms.

‘… I shall end your emptiness...’

_/No…! No!! Someone…! Please…! I…/_

Before Megumi blacked out, she heard a frantic voice from afar calling her name. She began to look upward with half-shut eyes when she saw a bright light.

‘ _Megumi!! Hey, Megumi! Give me your hand!!’_

_/….. Yosuke…?/_

The gray-haired girl found what little life she had left in her body as she began to raise her hand towards the light. Her nerves were shot and her windpipe was being crushed, but she began to dig deep within to keep reaching out. The part of her that wanted to give in was diminishing as she fully extended her hand out.

Suddenly, Megumi noticed that someone grabbed her hand and began to pull her out. Her throat was released as she was being pulled up and out of that dark room. She was dizzy for a moment as light washed over her and her body was pulled into someone else’s.

_/… So warm… Is this…?/_

Megumi looked up and noticed that it was really Yosuke that called her out and pulled her out of that place. The two were held on by Jiraiya as he leaped away from several jagged blocks that imprisoned the girl.

“You okay, Megumi?!” The fawn-haired boy gazed at her as he was rightfully worried about her.

She began to take a few breaths as this entire experience pushed her to the absolute brink. To see someone that she would consider very important right in front of her… Megumi couldn’t help but choke back the sobs that were building up in her throat as her eyes began to mist. “Yosuke…!” Without any thought in her actions, she moved forward and hugged the boy tightly as she placed her face onto his chest and began to sob. The ties that held her circular tails loosened and unraveled, freeing the long gray locks from the confines.

“Wh… Wha… M-Megumi…?!” Yosuke was speechless as his brain was failing to process at the situation unfolding before him. A heavy blush began to form across his face as he looked down at her. It was then that he realized the obvious- a girl, never mind that, his best friend was hugging him. Whatever that Shadow did to her, he knew that monster had to pay.

Megumi began to calm down as this moment felt like it went on for several minutes. The warmth of his body was becoming familiar to her as her breathing began to normalize. She also noted that he was wearing a light cologne, which was pleasant to her senses. She then blinked in surprise when she realized what she just did. She was hugging a boy, but not just any boy. It was her best friend and possibly the very first one she reached out to before. “… Uh...”

When Jiraiya finally landed onto the ground, Megumi broke away from the hug and took a step back from Yosuke. She began to blush heavily as she averted her eyes away from him. Did everyone else just witness what happened? She wasn’t sure if she was going to live this down.

“Megumi-chan, are you alright?!” Chie shouted as she, Yukiko, and Teddie ran up to the girl, relieved that she was alive.

“Hey there, Senpai!” Kanji greeted the girl before giving Yosuke a weird look. He noticed that his senpai was trying to get rid of the blush on his face as well.

“Sensei, you’re back!” Teddie was elated to see her, but then he became serious. “We’re glad that you’re alright, but we got a big problem on our paws!”

“Teddie is right,” Rise said as she had already summoned Himiko on standby. “I managed to find you here, but Mitsuo’s Shadow struck out and began to attack us. He became distracted when he tried to kill you and that’s when we had Yosuke-senpai rescue you.” She then looked up and noticed that Mitsuo’s doppelganger was becoming aware of the current situation. “It looks like he’s ready to fight us! We must win this!”

Megumi took a deep breath as she nodded in agreement. “Yeah… Let’s get him!” Her hand gripped onto her sword as she beckoned a tarot card in her other hand. “Persona!!”

The leader summoned Izanagi and the two began to rush forward. The other teenagers began to run forward with their Personas as well, spreading out to flank their enemy. Mitsuo’s Shadow began to notice this as it tried to send out different blocks. They were intercepted by the Team as they were cut down, their Personas doing the most damage. However, when they got closer to the monster, it began to rebuild its defenses by utilizing the blocks to shield itself.

“Oh no, not again!” Chie shouted as she and everyone else watched helplessly.

“You can’t attack the real body until you destroy its outer shell!” Rise shouted.

‘I… I need proof… That I exist...’ The Shadow began to summon powerful energies that surrounded it. ‘That is why… I must kill you!’ As it unleashed its deadly blasts, it struck back at its enemies.

“Watch out, guys!” Megumi shouted as she recalled Izanagi back to her.

“Dance, Konohana Sakuya!” Yukiko shouted as her resolve powered through her Persona. The lovely pink figure countered the Shadow by unleashing powerful fire blasts at it, destroying most of the shell. However, the Shadow began to pour its focus onto rebuilding its shields.

“Hell no, you’re not!” Kanji thundered as Take-Mikazuchi rushed forward, swatting away most of the blocks until he reached close enough to stop the shell from forming again. The black hulk received assistance from Jiraiya, Tomoe, Kintoki-Douji, and Konohana Sakuya as their combined efforts greatly destroyed the shell.

“Megumi-senpai! Now’s your chance!” Rise shouted as the others cheered their leader on.

Megumi stared straight into the eyes of Mitsuo’s Shadow. The doubting voices and second thoughts had vanished, leaving the girl with newfound determination and a revitalized resolve. This abomination claimed that she was like him, just like Mitsuo himself. That was where it was wrong. Her free hand clenched tightly as her eyes glared at her adversary. “I’m not like you… I am… I am not worthless!!”

Izanagi began to charge forward again. Anticipating this, the Shadow narrowed its eyes as it summoned powerful winds to drive the black Persona back.

Megumi countered by crushing a new Persona card immediately. “Lamia!”

A womanly figure with a snake’s body appeared in place of Izanagi and she unleashed a powerful fire attack towards Mitsuo’s Shadow, cutting through the winds. However, the monster did not relent as it brought up transparent shields.

The gray-haired girl did not back down from this as she now raised her free hand up and crushed a new card. “Undine!”

Replacing Lamia came forth a beautiful water spirit that raised up her arms. Undine unleashed a mighty blast of arctic cold against the Shadow, which placed tremendous pressure on its shields.

“Sylph!” Megumi crushed another card without skipping a beat.

A small fairy-like creature with green coverings and blonde hair materialized and summoned strong winds against the shields. Mitsuo’s Shadow was unable to hold back as its shields had finally been broken through.

Megumi was nowhere near done as she threw her sword to the side. She began to use both of her hands to crush a new card. “Orabas!”

A red horse-like creature appeared in Sylph's stead. As the Shadow attempted to strike back with its powerful energies, Orabas raised its arms upward and unleashed fiery bursts, nullifying the attacks while striking the Shadow as well.

Megumi anticipated an incoming blast her way and quickly summoned a new Persona. “Sarasvati!”

Another beautiful Persona that appeared as a woman with a sitar formed in front of Megumi. Sarasvati played a gentle note from her instrument, creating a strong barrier that blocked the Shadow’s attack.

The rest of the Investigation Team could hardly believe what was happening in front of them. They watched in awe as their leader successfully summoned one Persona after another. Yosuke was the most surprised as he pondered out loud, “Just how many Personas does she have…?!”

“Titania!” Megumi did not falter as she used both of her hands once again to summon forth another Persona. When Mitsuo’s Shadow tried to focus on a new attack, he did not notice a regal fairy-like being appearing next to him. Titania restrained herself as she summoned icy winds into her enemy’s ear. This caused great pain in Mitsuo’s Shadow as it screamed in agony, effectively shoving the other Personas away.

Megumi noticed now that the blocks that were floating in a disarray. Before the Shadow could regain its focus, the gray-haired girl crushed yet another Persona card. “Setanta!”

A white-armored warrior with a spear materialized and began to rush forward. He utilized his physical prowess into destroying most of the blocks, which created a clean path for Megumi to completely focus on. However, Mitsuo’s Shadow made use of what blocks it had left and sent them towards her.

The girl narrowed her eyes as she was not going to give up. “Principality!”

Replacing Setanta came forth another womanly figure that was garbed in heavy robes. Principality raised her staff upward and created a protective barrier to engulf the incoming blocks. In return, she utilized the build up of power and counterattacked by directing it right back at the Shadow. It began to cry out in pain as it was nearing its end.

Megumi knew that this next blow would end the battle. With the last of her strength, she clasped her hands together to summon her main Persona. “Izanagi!!”

Once Izanagi appeared, she rushed forward with her sword ready. Before Mitsuo’s Shadow could do anything and cried out in fear, the black Persona swung her weapon and fatally sliced the monster apart. It then melted into a glowing mass and reformed into the human form of itself.

Megumi began to breathe heavily as this took a major toll on her both physically and mentally. Before she could say or do anything, she began to stumble forward. Yosuke managed to catch her in time and helped her stand up. “Easy, Megumi!”

“… I… I’m fine...” The girl tried to say, but her voice was scratchy from the yelling. The teenagers then looked at the real Mitsuo, who was coming to as he sat up and began to look around.

“Wha-?! Who-?!” The dark-haired boy began to look around quickly and up to the members of the Investigation Team. “Who the hell are you guys?!”

“Shut up,” Kanji grumbled as his eyes hardened. “We’re here for your scrawny ass.”

“The police are after you now,” Chie said as she crossed her arms. “They know what you did.”

“… They do…? Th-that’s right…!” Mitsuo seemed to realize something and then his gaze fell onto Megumi.

The gray-haired girl managed to find the strength to stand up herself as she looked at the boy in return. “Is it true…? Like you said before, are you the one that caused those murders?”

“… I… did...” Mitsuo’s eyes then lit up with a sinister glee. “… Yes! It was me! I did it! I killed them all! And I would’ve killed you all too! I’ll kill you all!”

In a surprising twist of events, the Shadow version of Mitsuo slowly got back up and began to fade away in an inky cloud of darkness. Rise was the first person to notice this as she shouted. “Look…! His Shadow is fading…!”

Mitsuo was pleased to see this part of him gone. “Ha…! Serves him right! Dumb bastard trying to say that he’s me…!” The boy then began to cackle again until he had to stop due to exhaustion.

~*~

It was not long until the cops were summoned and they had taken Mitsuo away. The Investigation Team watched on with some onlookers as well. As the crowd began to disperse, the teenagers then looked at each other.

“It’s finally over...” Chie said, breathing in a little.

“Yeah...” Kanji spoke up next.

“My world will be peaceful again...” Teddie said, attempting a small smile.

“… Does this mean that the case is closed now…?” Yukiko asked to no one in particular. “… Wouldn’t that mean that our work is done…?”

Everyone began to frown as they looked down in sadness. Megumi noticed this change as the same realization struck her core before. Refusing to allow that chance to happen, she spoke up right away. “Let’s keep hanging out.”

The teenagers picked their heads back up and looked over at the gray-haired girl. Rise began to wear a smile on her face. “Yeah… I agree with Megumi-senpai. We still have to go to the beach! And now we’re gonna do a celebration party too!”

“Wait, we are?” Yosuke asked.

“Yeah!” The idol continued her smile. “After we’re done shooting commercials and stuff, we always throw a fun wrap party. It’ll give us a sense of closure too. But where should we have it at…?”

“Ooo! Ooo! How about Yuki-chan’s house?!” Teddie broke out into a full grin as his imagination began to run wild. “Gorgeous dinners, hot springs, yukatas, the old fashioned charm…!”

“Hm,” Yukiko began to frown. “I don’t think we’ll be able to do something like that anytime soon… All the rooms are usually occupied at this time of year.”

“Oh yeah,” Chie frowned initially but then an idea popped into her head. “Hey! Megumi-chan! How about your house?!”

Megumi took a second to think this, despite the exhaustion that was clouding her brain at the moment. She then nodded and gave a tired smile. “Sure, I like that. I’m pretty sure Nanako would be happy too.”

“How about we do this tomorrow?” Yosuke suggested as he looked at the gray-haired girl. “I think we need our rest for now.”

“… You’re right, Senpai,” Kanji said as he and everyone else also glimpsed at their leader. “She looked like she’s been through hell.”

Megumi nodded in return. “I think… We can all rest easy tonight.”

~*~

“I’ll be alright going home by myself, Yosuke...”

“What if you end up passing out along the way? At least let me make sure that you get there safely.”

Despite Megumi’s protests, Yosuke walked her home after the team disbanded for now. They all promised to meet up at Junes once again tomorrow so they could plan out their celebratory party.

The girl sighed as she relented. “Alright...”

As the two began walking towards Dojima’s house, an awkward silence hung in the air. Megumi’s mind began to rewind the events that transpired. She felt that she had underestimated the craftiness of the Shadows and she did not think that it was possible for them to had actually assaulted her on a mental scale. However, now that this case was done, she was relieved that no one else would be subjected to this horrible ordeal again.

Then, a certain subject about a boy rotated into her mind. He was appearing to had shown more concern for her than usual, as he would notice some things more quickly than the others. He was also the one who had saved her from Mitsuo’s Shadow. While Megumi was grateful for him saving her, the obvious elephant in the room was the actions she took once he pulled her out of the darkness. The way she hugged him placed her in close proximity and she also noticed that she began to calm down afterward. Her cheeks began to heat up again as she remembered how warm he was. She struggled to find her words until she managed to squeak out, “Thanks.”

“H-huh? What?” Yosuke was jolted out of his own thoughts as he looked over at Megumi. Once he noticed the redness on her face, he couldn’t help but blush as well.

“… Thanks for saving me back there… You’re a really nice guy.” She nodded sagely as her lips formed a small smile.

“O-oh, that. Uh...” The boy scrambled for the words to come out as well, but he struggled. “It was nothing, Megumi. Um… Y-you don’t have to take on everything by yourself, y’know? I know I’m repeating myself, but, um...”

Megumi blinked once as she finally turned to look at him, surprised to see him acting like this. “… Yeah. I guess you’re right… Well, if I ever need to vent, I’ll make sure that I come running to you.”

Yosuke then looked at her again. Despite the obvious exhaustion in her eyes, they looked into him with such magnetism. If one were to ask him honestly, he could easily draw himself into those eyes. He then looked up and noticed that the two were standing in front of Megumi’s house. The awkward silence returned to taunt them as the two stood still.

“So-”

“Well-”

Both of them spoke up at once and stopped. Megumi couldn’t help but conceal her laughter poorly. Yosuke wondered if she was trying to lighten up the mood a bit, but he had to join in the laughter despite his awkward approach to it.

“Alright,” Megumi nodded. “Um… See you tomorrow?”

“Y-yeah,” Yosuke nodded in return. “See ya later.”

The girl opened the door and turned to look at the boy with an earnest, but tired, smile. As she closed the door, he could’ve sworn that his heart had skipped a beat or two. He also thought that moment was probably his imagination.

When Megumi entered the house and announced her return, a realization dawned upon her as she began to remove her shoes.

_/….. Oh no, I think I’m falling for him./_


	23. Chapter 22: Summer Vacation Jam part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! :] And we're bringing this story out of hiatus! Apologies for the looong wait.  
> To make up for the wait, I'm uploading two chapters to encompass the Summer Vacation Jam!  
> It was originally gonna be one whole chapter, but I felt that it was too long. Hence it is broken into two parts. :]  
> As usual, critiques always help me! It helps me with my future writing and encourages me to go back and edit published works now and then. ;o  
> Please enjoy and have a great day/evening!
> 
> **APRIL 2018 EDIT:  
> Since inserting dates for our chain of events, I've noticed that August is rather... lacking.  
> I plan on adding more scenes for this month, but I'm not sure how soon that'll be. ;o  
> I'll let someone know when they have been updated. ♥

**Thursday, July 28th 2011**

 

The next morning arrived and Megumi had woken up with a brighter demeanor than usual. She felt well-rested and jubilant. The suspect in the murder case has been apprehended and was now in police custody. It also appeared that her group of friends had no intention of splitting off and do their own things. Life was looking good for the gray-haired girl and she was going to enjoy the rest of her time here in Inaba before returning to Nakano in eight months.

Nanako greeted her older cousin with a smile and breakfast once Megumi finally came downstairs. "Good morning, Big Sis! You look happy today."

"Yeah?" Megumi couldn't conceal her smile, which made her thankful that her uncle wasn't around at the moment. "I'm just feeling thankful for today, Nanako."

"What're you thankful for?" the little girl asked when she and Megumi took their seats and began to dig into their eggs and toast.

"Hm..." Megumi had to stop and pick her words carefully, mostly for obvious reasons. "Well... I'm thankful for being here in Inaba, actually. I made a lot of friends here and I actually like going to school. I'm also happy to spend time with you and Uncle."

"Really?" Nanako gave a bright smile. "I like spending time with you too. You actually play with me and we have so much fun! I like your friends too because they do the same thing!"

"Is that right?" Megumi smiled. "... I'm glad. Since it's summer vacation now, I'll see that if I can round the group up so we can all go play, okay?"

"R-really?!" Nanako almost jumped out of her seat in excitement. "Yay!"

It was then that Megumi had an idea of how she and the rest of the Investigation Team should celebrate their victory over Mitsuo. Whatever they would decide on, it should also involve Nanako as well.

~*~

The afternoon arrived and it was indeed a brand new day. Megumi rushed over to Junes as fast as she could. Apparently, everyone else shared the same excitement as they were already there to greet her. With Mitsuo apprehended, the case was as good as solved. All that was left was the capability of the police, which the teenagers agree to let them handle the case from here.

“So, how should we celebrate?” Megumi asked. “I’m open for ideas. I also think we should let Nanako join us too.”

“Well,” Chie began. “How about we make dinner for all of us, including her?"

“Wow,” Rise was taken back by the suggestion. “Are you good at cooking?”

“W-well, sort of…?” The short-haired girl began to chuckle nervously. She could already tell that Yosuke was wincing at the memory of the camp trip.

“Dude, did you already forget the tragedy of the school campout?!” The fawn-haired boy shouted.

“W-we only got a few ingredients wrong, that’s all!” Yukiko said defensively. “Megumi-chan gave us the okay too!”

“Uh...” The gray-haired girl chuckled nervously, unable to say anything at the moment.

“Well, if it helps you, Yosuke-senpai, I’m a good cook too!” Rise confidently smiled. “I’ll be happy to make something for everyone.”

Before anyone else was able to say anything else, Teddie boisterously announced something. “Ooo! Teddie has a great idea! Let’s have a cooking battle! The winner will be crowned ‘Iron Cook Inaba’!”

All of the teenagers gave the bear a weird look initially. Yosuke frowned upon the realization of who may participate. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea...”

“Uh… S-sure, that sounds like fun,” Chie agreed to Teddie’s idea in an unconvincing tone.

“Mm-hmm,” Yukiko nodded. “I’m pretty sure my cooking skills have improved… I think...”

“Awww, are you sure you want to participate?” Rise asked in a coy tone. “I’ll probably end up beating anyone who decides to join in, so...”

Her words prompted the looks of Chie, Yukiko, and even Megumi to look at the idol’s direction. If this was her way of promoting a sense of competition, then she may have sparked a fire.

“Don’t get so cocky, Rise-chan!” Chie announced with vigor, her hand firmly clenched in front of her face.

Yukiko simply narrowed her eyes. “I’ll end you in one strike.”

Megumi simply smiled nonplussed. She was feeling fired up from the challenge, regardless of how potentially good the idol’s cooking skills may be. “Bring it on, Rise.”

Rise began to buckle upon the weight of the resolve from her senpai. “… No problem! Just ask Nanako-chan what she wants for dinner!”

~*~

When Megumi called her cousin about dinner, Nanako was being modest at first by suggesting anything. After much prodding by Yukiko, the gray-haired girl asked again. This time, the choice was an omelette with fried rice.

"Haha, great choice, Nanako-chan!" Yosuke grinned. "Fried rice omelette shouldn't be that hard to screw up! Right?"

However, the trio of Chie, Yukiko, and even Rise had hesitation in their faces when the rest of the group noticed their silence.

"Huh? Something wrong?" Yosuke asked.

"N-nothing!" Chie said quickly. "Let's go ahead and get our ingredients!" She attempted to speak cheerfully, but there was doubt in her tone. Upon this declaration, she and the other two girls began to wander off to different parts of the grocery section of Junes.

"Wait, if we're all making the same thing, why did they split off like that...?" Yosuke warily asked, fearing for a second round of Mystery Food X. "..... Megumi! You gotta save us, and more importantly Nanako!"

"... What?" The girl blinked owlishly. "Uh... Fair enough. I'm having horrible flashbacks from the camping trip..."

"Alright! Okay, what kinda omelette are you gonna make? I'll go get the ingredients for you."

"..... Uh?" Megumi blinked once again. "I can get them myself, Yosuke..."

"C'mon," the boy pleaded. "You're gonna be our savior! I won't screw up, I promise!"

It wasn't like she didn't have faith in him, but... Megumi shook the cobwebs out of her brain and ended up relenting. After deciding what kind of omelette she'll make, she rattled off the ingredients she needed and Yosuke took off. It was awfully sweet of him to help her like this. Were they closer than she thought?

"Uh... Senpai?"

Kanji's voice broke Megumi out of her trance and she was startled. "Wh-what?"

The tall boy reacted with a weird look. "You alright? You look like you've got your head in the clouds or something."

"..... I-it's nothing," Megumi stuttered. She decided that she must get over this crush as soon as possible. They were never meant to last long anyway.

It was not long until everyone had returned with the basics needed for the omelettes. Yosuke was surprised to see a certain ingredient in the cart. "What the- Is that frois gras?!"

Rise began to giggle. "Quite an eye you got there, Yosuke-senpai. It's a must-have for my special omelette! Don't worry, I'll be happy to share some with you. Ooo, or maybe I can spoon feed you!"

Megumi frowned immediately once she heard the last sentence from the idol. She knew that Rise was naturally inclined to be a flirt, but...

"I heard that you were subject to something horrible over at the camping trip!" Rise continued. "But don't worry, I'll take good care of you." She ended with a giggle.

"Thank you, Risette...!" Yosuke said dreamily. However, he was brought back down to Earth when Megumi placed her hand on his shoulder and began to grip it.

The gray-haired girl was smiling, but it was easy to see that there was a slight air of competition mixed with jealousy coming from her. "Wait until we start making dinner, Rise. I'll blow you out of the water."

"Ow, ow, ow... Megumi... Too much grip...!"

The idol began to buckle under the intense atmosphere and chuckled nervously. "O-of course, Megumi-senpai...! I heard that you weren't involved with the actual torture, so..."

It was then that she found herself under heavy scrutiny when Chie and Yukiko began to drill holes into her with their stares. Yosuke was also feeling it too, but he was more occupied with his shoulder getting pinched.

"Megumi...! Can I have my shoulder back? Please?!"

"..... Uh?" The girl stopped long enough to realize what she was doing and ended up letting go. Was she actually jealous just now? Or was it the sense of competition? Yosuke was just a friend, that was all. Right...?

After the team had pried Teddie away from his sample-and-flirt crusade with some of the sample ladies from the grocery area, they have begun to head to the front to check out and head to Megumi's house.

~*~

The evening had arrived and the teens made it to Megumi's house without incident and with a giant Junes bag. It did not take the girls long to begin their cook-off. While Chie, Yukiko, and Rise put in a lot of effort into their meals, Megumi handled herself with ease with Yosuke and Kanji watching carefully. Teddie decided to hang out with Nanako until dinner was served.

Megumi was the first one to finish when she walked over to the bear and her little cousin to check on them. Teddie appeared to have something in his mind.

"Sensei... I realized something. Now that it's all over, I should go back to my world... But I just made a promise to Nana-chan..." He looked off into the distance with a contemplative thought.

Megumi wondered what he meant until she remembered the promise that she and Yosuke made for him several months back. "..... Oh. I totally forgot about that. Well, you made a promise to Nanako. Are you gonna keep it?"

"... Huh?" Teddie snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at the gray-haired girl. "..... You're right...! I... I am gonna keep that promise. I want to stay here with you all... Just a little longer..."

"Of course," Megumi nodded, giving him a small smile. "Let's make new memories, okay?"

"You got it!" The bear grinned, returning to his bright self.

"It's reaaaaady!" Rise announced.

Upon the declaration, Megumi returned to the kitchen area to grab her fried rice omelette and made her way back with the other girls. When they placed their meals on the table in the living room, each of them appeared to be very different from one another. The group sat around the small table, with Megumi sitting next to Yosuke and on the opposite side of Nanako.

"Please enjoy the food!" Rise flashed a megawatt smile.

"Uh..." Yosuke interjected. "Don't you think it's a little unethical to have Nanako jump in so suddenly...?"

Chie gave the boy a glare. "W-what d'ya mean by that?!"

"Ohhhh, I get it," Kanji nodded. "It's our job to taste-test the food and make sure we can all keep it down. Good idea, Senpai."

"You didn't have it to word it like that..." Yukiko grumbled.

"Hey, that's mean, Moronji!" Rise pouted.

Kanji was taken back by this new insult. "M-Moronji?!"

"Anyway!" The idol took back control of the 'competition'. "If you're so worried about how delicious my omelette will be, you should try it, Yosuke-senpai!"

Megumi had about enough of her kouhai's consistent flirting, but Yosuke appeared to not mind it as much.

"Ohhhh man! Really?! Y'know how many guys would kill me if they found out that I get to sample Risette's cooking!?" The headphone-clad boy was about to dig in until he noticed another spoon coming towards Rise's omelette.

Megumi kept herself composed as she obtained a spoonful. "If he's gonna have some, I should try it as well."

"Of course, Megumi-senpai!" Rise chirped happily. "I'd love to hear what you think as well!"

On cue, both Yosuke and Megumi ate the omelette. In a matter of seconds, both of them appeared to have regretted their mutual choice.

"Gyah!" Yosuke had a hard time chewing his food and swallowing it down.

"....." Megumi winced at the combined forces of the spiciness and heat of the omelette. She couldn't even tell if there was frois grae or not. Her mouth began to feel pain and she deduced the obvious choice. "... I... I can't let Nanako have this..."

"I agree..." Yosuke groaned in pain as well.

While Rise began to silently fume, Yukiko stepped up. "Here, try mine next."

"I'll take this one," Kanji volunteered. Unlike the more modest spoonfuls of Yosuke and Megumi, the delinquent's spoonful was rather large.

"Uh, Kanji," Megumi tried to intervene, but it was too late. Kanji shoveled Yukiko's omelette into his mouth and gave himself several moments to assess the taste. He was initially confused at first, trying a couple more spoonfuls to process his thoughts.

Yukiko became impatient when he was not saying anything. "Kanji-kun, say something."

"Uh..." He was having trouble putting his thoughts into words. "... How do I put it this way? It tastes... boneless...? Not enough 'bampf'?"

"H-huh?" The raven-haired girl became irritated. "Don't be vague about it, is it good or not?"

Megumi gave herself a sigh before digging in. "When you're Yukiko's official taste-tester like me, you should really be honest with her." Upon finishing her sentence, she gave the omelette a taste.

"But I was..." Kanji frowned.

The team leader gave herself a few moments to process the taste. While it was true that this was a step-up from her previous experiences with Yukiko's other dishes, this one... "Um... I actually agree with Kanji, I don't taste anything..."

"You get what I mean now?" The tall boy said, his frown not letting up. "It's not good, Yukiko-senpai. It's like... eating plain oatmeal..."

The raven-haired girl was not pleased with this outcome. "Y-your palette is not refined enough!"

Megumi flinched at the wrath of her friend. "If it makes you feel any better, it's better then what I've tried from you before!"

Unbeknownst to the girls, however, Nanako reached out and tried out Yukiko's omelette. After giving herself a few moments, she slowly smiled. "... I think it's good."

"Ah, thank you, Nanako-chan," Yukiko eased up and regained her composure.

Megumi took a hard look at her cousin. She wasn't sure if she was fibbing or not, but she had to admit that her cousin was good at being nice to others.

"O-okay," Chie said nervously. "My turn! I, uh... I hope it turned out okay...!"

"Then I shall give it a whirl!" Teddie beamed, digging into the rather normal-looking omelette right away. After giving himself a few moments and a few bites, he gave a wide grin. "Wow, Chie-chan! This tastes downright awful! Yosuke, Megumi-sensei! You should try some too!"

While the short-haired girl frowned intensely at Teddie's comments, Yosuke reeled at the idea of having Chie's cooking and Megumi appeared to harbor reservations as well. With the bear putting them on the spot, they had little choice but to dig in together.

"... Why am I not surprised," Yosuke said flatly, unimpressed by the taste.

Megumi's face scrunched up upon tasting Chie's omelette. Teddie was right- this was awful. "Well... This is a step up from the curry..."

"Geez, thanks for the consolation," Chie grumbled.

Nanako decided to try out the omelette for herself when she sampled the food. Although she had trouble forming words, she managed to squeak out, "I... I think this is good too..."

This made Megumi look at her again. _/Nanako, you brave soul...!/_

"N-Nanako-chan...!" Chie gasped. "You're so sweet...! Thank you!"

"Hm," Yukiko decided to try out her friend's omelette, but she reached the same conclusion. "Haha, they're right. It really is awful!" She began to cackle like crazy but was stopped by Chie's glare.

"Hey! Who's side are you on?!" The short-haired girl shouted. "Why don't you try Rise-chan's?! I bet mine tastes better!"

When Rise gave her a glowing smile, Yukiko had no choice but to accept Chie's challenge. With morbid curiosity, she ate the fiery omelette. "Ngh!" She regretted her choice when she fell backward and fainted.

"S-senpai?!" Rise cried out with worry.

"Yukiko, are you alright?!" Chie looked over at her friend with worry. However, the raven-haired girl was stunned wordless.

"Well. One strike." Kanji concluded.

The idol began to pout intensely. "You're all so mean...! My cooking has a more adult-like taste to them!" She began to sniffle until it became a full-blown sobfest.

Despite the noisy atmosphere, Nanako reached over to finally try Rise's omelette. She flinched from the spiciness of the food, but she managed to voice her opinion. "Uhm... It's really spicy... But this is good..."

Megumi's instincts kicked in when she looked over at her cousin. "Are you gonna be alright, Nanako? Are you feeling faint or-"

"I-I'm fine, Big Sis..." Nanako smiled through the fiery aftertaste nonetheless.

Rise quickly ended her tears when she looked at the little girl. "Nanako-chan...!" She then smirked. "Ha, I knew it! Nanako-chan is the most mature person in here!"

Both Megumi and Chie gave her a deadpan stare. "Were those..." the short-haired girl trailed off.

"... Crocodile tears?" Megumi finished her friend's sentence in annoyance.

Nanako then scouted the table and noticed that there was only one more dish untouched. "... Who made that one?"

"Oh right!" Yosuke blurted out. "That's Megumi's, isn't it?"

"Uh? Oh yeah," The gray-haired girl realized that Nanako hasn't tried her dish yet.

"Really?! Ohh!" Nanako could hardly contain her excitement as she sampled her older cousin's omelette. Her eyes sparkled when it was apparent that she really liked this dish. "This is amazing! This is really, really good!"

Megumi couldn't help but grin. "Glad that you liked it, Nanako."

The evening rolled on, with more plans for the group of teenagers in the near future. The beach trip and now a summer festival at the Tatsuhime Shrine was on the horizon. It would be a full month until school would begin for the second semester and Megumi intended on spending plenty of time enjoying herself this summer.

~*~

**Sunday, July 31st 2011**

 

Megumi had never considered herself as an artistic person. She viewed herself more as an appreciator of those talents. When her old high school in Nakano held their culture festival last year, there was one display that had several paintings that were visually pleasing. There were varying skill levels, but Megumi felt that they were all collectively better then what she could produce herself. There was another display that had lessons on how to make origami, but the girl's poor cranes would always end up looking different and distorted. This further discouraged her from trying anything else.

While hanging out with Kanji, she became fascinated by how he made his creations. The tall boy did admit to her once that he was thrown off by her words during the confrontation with his Shadow. However, he ended up keeping his promise and had Megumi visit his family's textile shop now and then. While he ran off to use the bathroom one time, his mother had confided to her that she was one of the very few girls to talk to him without passing judgment and it was a rare opportunity to make friends of either gender.

To Megumi, Kanji was an easily misunderstood young man who needed someone to tell him that it would all be okay.

During one hot summer day, the two teens were hanging out on the patio near the Samegawa floodplain. The roof shielded them from the blazing sun while Kanji was teaching Megumi how to make some dolls. Not long after they begun to hang out, the same boy who has one of the delinquent's dolls talked him into making more. This ended up leading him to sell some of his creations at his shop, in which they had frequently sold out.

"So... It goes like this, right Kanji?" Megumi asked, trying her best to follow her teacher's words.

"Uh... No, Senpai. It's the other way," Kanji tried to be patient with her as he helped her out.

"Oh..." The girl's lips twisted in slight frustration before giving a sigh. "Sorry, I'm hopeless... I'm not a creative person."

"Whaddya mean, Senpai?" Kanji frowned. "Just 'cause I've been doing this for a long-ass time doesn't mean that you should give up. Shit like this takes time."

Megumi eventually nodded once. "... You're right. I sometimes give up too easily before trying again. Okay, I'm gonna try to get this to look at least presentable." She picked her needles back up and began to focus again.

Kanji stopped himself for a moment to look at her. He was quite surprised to hear those words coming from someone like her. "... You? Give up? Sounds really weird from you."

"Does it?" Megumi asked. "... I don't know. Sometimes if things get too rough, I'd just end up withdrawing back into my comfort zone. This year, though..."

The tall boy listened to her before saying anything. "Uh... There's nothing wrong with something like that. I mean... You could've just ignored me and let me help with the case, but you've gone out of your way to help me out with sharing my dolls..."

Megumi looked back at the younger boy. If he didn't give up on her, maybe she should do the same. "..... Yeah. We didn't give up when we solved the murders. I'm not gonna be afraid of messing up and trying again. It's kind of like school, or tennis even. Practice makes perfect." She nodded and eyed her little doll, which looked like a misshapen cat.

"That's my Senpai!" Kanji grinned, but he received a weird look from Megumi. "Wh... What?" After a long silence, he realized his mistake and began to stammer. "..... Oh shit! That came out weird... S-sorry..." He blushed slightly.

"Haha, you're forgiven," the girl patted him on the shoulder, but he ended up freezing. Despite the progress he made with simply talking to other girls, he was still rather adamant when it came to being touched by them. Noticing this, Megumi's hand back off and she produced a visible bead of sweat. "My bad."

"..... It's... It's nothin'," Kanji grumbled, trying to calm himself down. "... P-practice makes perfect..."

~*~

**Thursday, August 4th 2011**

 

Megumi's group of friends were usually small. She had a tendency to blend in with the crowd and would rarely be picked out from it. The only time people would interact with her was during tennis or when someone would ask for her opinions. This was a 'normal' for her and the cycle would repeat when she moved to a new area. But would this last forever...?

"Wasn't that movie amazing, Megumi-senpai?!" Rise spun around in her heel, carrying herself with her usual zest. The navigator invited the gray-haired girl to Okina City to indulge in some 'girly' fun. Megumi predicted it would involve a movie, hanging out in Chagall and lots and lots of shopping.

However, there were other elements mixed in as well. Many strangers would stop and stare at Rise, some even asking her if she was 'Risette'. She initially struggled at first, but she became more comfortable with denying them. Megumi observed her behavior and noticed that while she was adamant about not being 'Risette', there was something else that was surfacing. She wasn't sure, but it looked like hesitation.

"... You sure you okay, Rise?" Megumi asked while selecting a can of strawberry milk from a vending machine.

"Yeah," Rise blinked owlishly at her friend. "... I wasn't being too pushy, was I?"

"Uh?" The gray-haired girl gave the normally peppy idol a weird look. "You're being you as far as I know."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Rise asked. From the look on her face, a new thought surfaced. "Well... Regardless, they won't find Risette here. I'm just... me. The ordinary Rise Kujikawa, in the flesh." She tried to play it cool, but it was slightly out of character for her.

Sensing that there was something else troubling her, Megumi had her sit down on a bench with plenty of shade. "There's something on your mind, isn't there?"

"....." After a long silence, Rise finally broke the ice. "You caught me, Megumi-senpai. I know that I kept saying that Risette is not here, but... I'm just Rise now. The one that's going to school, solving murders, helping my friends out inside a weird world and hanging out with these same friends... I'm still me... Right?"

Megumi wanted to reassure her, but she did bring up a good point. Not to mention that she had impressive skills for an idol. "... You're also a good actor."

"Yeah?" She didn't expect that answer, but a small smile formed on her face. "My old manager said that to me once, when I told him that I wanted to take a break. I was told that I'm natural, but... I mostly acted what others would want to see because I had to live with it. Being bullied growing up, I was actually shy and had no friends. But then, one of my relatives submitted an application to a talent agency without my knowledge and I ended up passing the first audition."

"Oh... Really?" Megumi honestly had no idea how entering the entertainment business worked, so she chose to listen closely to Rise's story.

"Yeah," the idol continued. "I thought about turning them down at first, but... I actually didn't become an idol just for the popularity. I actually wanted to make friends, so... I became 'Risette'. But... No one sees the real me. You noticed it too, right? They don't see me at all..."

"Rise..." Megumi felt that she understood her friend better through this admission. Even an idol such as her was a lonely person... In a way, this was no different from her old days of being in the background. There was one thing the two girls had in common – being lonely was a miserable experience.

"..... I don't feel like shopping anymore, Senpai," Rise spoke up again. "Can we go home...?"

Megumi agreed. "Yeah... We'll come back here to finish what we started. There's still plenty of summer vacation left."

~*~

**Tuesday, August 9th 2011**

 

Megumi honestly held no strong opinions when it came to adults. Sure, some of them were awful but she wanted to believe that there were some good people out there as well. She would never bring herself to say that she hated her parents, but for them shuffling around and eventually going overseas did leave a rather sour taste in her mouth. Despite that, they had made efforts to keep in contact with her. Or rather, whenever they could, as their busy schedules were the main reason.

But then, there were some people that were beginning to rub Megumi the wrong way. It was mostly toned down whenever they were around others, but Adachi had been acting somewhat differently as of late. Given that they were in a small town, rumors were always on the fly. While her standing was considered good and Adachi didn't appear to be anything else but a bumbling cop, she didn't want to give anyone a chance to paint her as someone who would do something like compensated dating.

Having him over at her house with Nanako should be alright, Megumi concluded. He was going to be at his boss' house and he wouldn't try anything weird. That was what she had hoped for anyway.

It was the same evening when she and Nanako were working on their summer homework. The gray-haired girl nearly forgot and was annoyed by this. However, she had a feeling that she would never hear the end of it from Junichi if she wasn't studying and doing her homework. Adachi watched the two carefully while the two girls had dived into their respective work.

"... Wow, that looks complicated, Megumi-san," the lanky detective commented. "I barely remember what high school was like. All I did was a bunch of studying and that was it."

The teenage girl blinked once. "... If that was the case, then the history passage I'm reading shouldn't be too hard for you then..."

"Wha-?" Adachi had to scramble for his words while Nanako looked at him with curiosity. "I-It's nothing like that. I mean... History kind of doesn't help me with my job, you know?"

Megumi frowned slightly but shrugged off his words. "Well, stuff like this may be on exams and I can't be too careful."

Adachi sighed with mild irritation but he simmered down enough when he looked over at Nanako's book. "So what're you doing for homework, Nanako-chan?"

"Uhm..." the little girl initially struggled with her words. "I have to write a book review."

"Oh, that's it? Those are easy, Nanako-chan," Adachi smiled. "All you gotta do is look over the notes on the back of the book and summarize from there."

Megumi couldn't help but become annoyed by the detective's worthless advice. However, Nanako spoke up. "Uhm... But my teacher said to read the book, and write down what I think about it."

"That doesn't matter," Adachi said. "You got to be more efficient with your time."

"But that doesn't help her at all," Megumi's frown was fixed.

"Megumi-san, you have to teach those things to Nanako-chan one of these days," Adachi returned with a frown of his own. "Being an adult is hard enough, you never get enough time in a day for anything. Anyway, is there anything else for that book review?"

The gray-haired girl's patience was wearing thin. He was proving to be the worst kind of distraction to have existed. Fortunately, Nanako pulled out a sheet of paper and read it over.

"... Oh, wait!" the little girl gasped in surprise. "... It's not a review. I just need to read it and have a grown-up make a mark that shows that I did it."

"..... That's it?" Megumi said, also surprised by this.

"O-oh..." Adachi retracted his statement with a lame look on his face. "Th-that's all? That's easy, but... I think Dojima-san will be late today."

Nanako thought to herself for a moment. "Will you give me a mark, Adachi-san?"

"Me? Uh... Sure. If you do a good job, I'll draw you a big flower. How about it?"

"R-really?!" the little girl brightened up. "I want one!"

Adachi gave her a small smile. "Alright, then let's get started."

Nanako began to read the book earnestly, which was about a pink alligator. Megumi mostly poured her attention to the book she was studying, but she recalled the same story not too long ago. Didn't the author pass away or something after completing his story? Regardless, she occasionally poked her head up to check on Nanako. She had poured her attention entirely to the book. Then she looked at Adachi for a moment. He was nodding off.

_/Should've known./_

Megumi's legs began to cramp under her weight, so she shifted her position and stretched them out underneath the table. However, she felt a slight brush of someone's foot on her right calf. Startled, she withdrawn her leg and looked up. Adachi tried not to make any noise that would interrupt Nanako, but he shot the teenage girl an apologetic look.

 _/... What the hell./_ Megumi frowned but chose not to make a big deal out of it when she resumed her notes. Without thinking about it, she stretched out her legs again. Only this time, a stray foot brushed up past her knee and to the outer side of her thigh.

She choked back a yelp when she pulled her legs back to herself and shot the lanky detective a dirty look. Adachi appeared to have shifted in his seat and waved his hands to her, mouthing a 'sorry, sorry!' to her.

Megumi wanted to brush this off, but some parts of her refused to. The first time might not be an accident, but the second time... That was not okay. This was when she told herself that while it might be okay to keep talking to Adachi, it was imperative that she should be with one of her friends if possible. This was bad enough with Nanako in the same room, let alone if Dojima was home. He would probably skin Adachi alive.

She could not be more relieved when the detective eventually went home.

~*~

**Saturday, August 20th 2011**

 

The rainy night had finally arrived and as Megumi had expected, no one had appeared on the Midnight Channel. Since Mitsuo Kubo has been apprehended, she wondered if this was really the end of the murder investigation. It was kind of hard to believe that the struggle was finally over, but it appeared that everyone was ready to move on from this strange world. Even Teddie was more than willing to stay. Megumi couldn't help but smile on all of this. She was going to enjoy the rest of the school year until she has to return to Nakano. She had figured that she would deal with that when the time comes.

A few days later, the day of the Summer Festival arrived. Early in the morning, Megumi received a call from Chie, inviting her to Yukiko's house so she could pick a yukata to wear. The girl thought about not wearing one, but she could hear Yukiko's audible disappointment from Chie's end. She ended up relenting and began to make her way to the Amagi Inn with Nanako.

This was the first time Megumi had ever been to Yukiko's home, which was about as nice as traditional inns go. There were busy staff going to and fro, warm aromas wafting in the air. What was most amazing about this experience was the sheer amount of kimono and yukata stored at the back of the inn.

"Whoa...!" Megumi couldn't help but be floored by the display. "Yukiko, you could open a storefront with all this!"

"That's a lot of clothes!" Nanako echoed her cousin, also amazed at the display.

"If Kanji heard that, he wouldn't know what to do," Rise snickered.

"At this rate, you can't say no, Megumi-chan!" Chie grinned, pushing the gray-haired girl in. "C'mon, pick one!"

"H-hey, hey," Megumi resisted but failed against the short-haired girl's strength. "We got plenty of time, don't we?"

"That is true, but it takes a lot of time to get into a yukata," Yukiko explained. "I'm pretty sure the guys won't mind waiting anyway."

"... Yeah, you're right," Megumi looked up at the sheer amount of yukata that was hung up and folded neatly. _/So many to choose from!/_

Nanako wandered in there as well to look at the different yukata. When she noticed a light blue one, she gasped. "Oh, Big Sis! What about that one?"

Megumi picked her head up and walked over to where her little cousin was pointing at a particular yukata. The base was a very light blue color, with some different shades of blue and grey flowers peppered in what looked like trails. It reminded her of some paintings she saw when she was a little girl, probably around Nanako's age at the time. When she and her parents were visiting Shibuya, they went to an art museum. There were some pieces that had made various styles, with some having 'floating flowers' dancing in the sky. This stood out to Megumi as she grew up. This particular kimono that Nanako pointed out reminded her of those days... There was clearly a decision.

"Have I ever told you that you have great taste, Nanako?" Megumi smiled, then turning her head to Yukiko. "I wanna go with this one!"

She was looking forward to a great night ahead of her.

 


	24. Chapter 23: Summer Vacation Jam part 2

**Saturday, August 20th 2011**

 

It took them the entire afternoon but by the time the sun began to set, all five of the girls were dressed up and ready to hit Tatsuhime Shrine with their girlish charms and yukata galore. Megumi had decided on the light blue kimono that Nanako had picked out for her, complete with geta and a decorative flower hairpin tied to the left circular tail of her hair. It was a few silk balloon bellflowers tied together with a silk ribbon, but this was one of the few accessories she brought with her from her old home.

When Megumi was around eleven years old, she went to a local shrine's summer festival with her parents. This was clearly before their gradual involvement when their work lives overtook their time. She recalled her father trying his best to win his little girl some sort of flower accessory. It didn't matter which one she wanted, she cheered him on until he finally got a prize- a trio of silk balloon bellflowers. She was instructed to take good care of it, but unfortunately, that was the only time she would ever wear them... Until this evening.

The gray-haired girl looked over to her friends and Nanako, each of them decked out in their yukata as well. Yukiko settled on a dark purple-blue one with a fan motif, Chie went with a white-based yukata with an array of green and orange flowers scattered, Rise went with a gorgeous red one with outlines of butterflies, and Nanako wore a pink checkered yukata with tiny yellow flowers placed here and there.

By the time the girls reached to the shrine, it was not as crowded. There were some people still lingering but it did not necessarily mean that it was a bad thing. More people might come by later, as there was supposed to be a fireworks display later tonight.

"Oh, there they are!" Yukiko said, noticing that the trio of Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie was munching on snacks.

"Where could they be?!" Teddie bounced in his human steps impatiently. "They said that they'll be here!"

"You're right, what could've taken them so--" Yosuke's words stopped when his eyes fell upon his friends. "... Wh-whoa...!"

Kanji was equally taken back by the sight and he turned his head away, a faint blush forming on his face.

"Sorry that we're late!" Chie apologized. "Getting these on takes forever!"

"Um, I did warn everyone..." Yukiko admitted while giving a sheepish smile.

"There's a lot more to wearing yukata, so they wouldn't be as breezy!" Rise stated with a small smile on her face.

"This is hard to walk in..." Nanako commented, looking down at her yukata.

This prompted Megumi to glance at her cousin, making sure she mitigated the risk of tripping. "Do you need me to hold your cotton candy bag?"

"No, I'm fine, Big Sis," the little girl beamed while gripping the giant bag of the sugary floss. "Thanks again for the cotton candy!"

The gray-haired girl smiled and nodded in response. Before anyone could react, Dojima walked up to them.

"Ah, Megumi. Thanks for taking care of Nanako for me. I can take it from here." He then noticed her outfit. "Oh, you're wearing a yukata too. You look very nice."

"Haha, thanks, Uncle," Megumi gave him an earnest smile. Ever since the news report of Mitsuo's arrest, she and Dojima had been on better terms as of late. While he was more insistent of her being more responsible, they had some moments of bonding.

Dojima couldn't help but shoot Yosuke a certain look, which made the boy react with a nervous jerk before turning back to Nanako. "Do you wanna go play the target prac- I mean, game with me?"

"Uh-huh!" Nanako couldn't contain her excitement when she rushed to her dad's side.

"Alright," The grizzled detective looked over to Megumi and the rest of her friends. "It's not every day that the town can get together and relax like this. You kids go enjoy yourselves." After saying his piece, he and his daughter walked away to the games stand.

"Soooo..." Rise turned around and flashed a grin. "What do you think?"

"Uh..." Yosuke had to scratch his head. "You all look amazing...!"

Megumi couldn't help but slightly blush. However, she noticed that Kanji was trying not to pay attention to them. "... Uh, Kanji? You alright?"

The headphone-clad boy also noticed his kouhai acting weird. "What're you, a monk? You're not that bashful, are you?"

"Wh-wha-?!" Kanji blurted out. "N-no! It's not like that!"

"Hmmm..." Teddie hummed to himself out loud, getting the attention of everyone. "A summer festival... A night to remember... A couple walks together, the girl's yukata starts to slip... Summer has begun."

Megumi blinked at the bear's monologue. _/... I think Yosuke is rubbing off on him./_

"Wh-what kinda tagline is that, Teddie?" Chie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Teddie grinned with one of his bright smiles. "We should go two-by-two!"

"H-huh? What do you mean?" Yukiko asked.

"Well, I've been thinking," the bear started to explain. "Since you're in yukata and it's summertime and today is the festival, right?"

"Right, but what're you thinking about, Teddie?" Rise also asked.

"It's awkward if we're to go around as a group!" Teddie nodded to himself. "So we should choose our partners! It'll hold lotsa memories for us all!"

"Uh... One problem," Kanji noticed something off with the group. "There's four girls. There's only three guys. How the hell is that gonna work?!"

"Oh, that's easy!" The bear said nonchalantly. "I'll be the bear who'll escort two of them!"

Taken out of context, the teenagers reacted with unsure looks. They were sure that Teddie wasn't trying to imply something, but...

Megumi had to think of a partner quickly, or it was likely that she'll be picked by the bear. She might not have minded being chosen by him, but he had a point in making memories. If she was going to choose someone, there was really only one option. The butterflies in her gut weren't helping although. "... I volunteer Yosuke."

"Wha-?!" The fawn-haired boy was nearly bowled over but he recovered quickly enough to glance at the girl.

"Ooo, you're so bold, Senpai!" Rise cheered. Influenced by Megumi, the idol quickly came to a decision. "I've decided that you're not gonna have two girls in yukata, Teddie! I'm going with you!"

"R-really, Rise-chan?!" Teddie could hardly believe himself as everyone else reacted the same way.

Chie and Yukiko exchanged glances before looking at the nervous Kanji. The short-haired girl eventually shrugged. "Well, it looks like we're gonna go hang out with Kanji!"

Yukiko slowly warmed up to the idea. "Yeah, I think we'll have fun, right Kanji-kun?"

"Uh..." The tall boy, however, was unsure of the situation. When Megumi gave him an encouragement in form of a small smile, Kanji found some sort of resolution when he became excited about the idea. "Y-yeah! I'll hang out with both of you, Chie-senpai and Yukiko-senpai! I... I can do this! I got this!"

Yosuke couldn't help but snicker a little. "You sure you're not a monk?"

Megumi ended up rolling her eyes and walked forward, grabbing the boy by the headphones. "Let's go before I change my mind."

~*~

The first thing the duo of Megumi and Yosuke did was the tradition of making wishes at the shrine to pay their respects. At least that was on the girl's insistence. Despite that, she actually struggled with what she should wish on.

Better grades? _/... Nah, I'm getting by in school just fine./_

Money? _/I'm not hurting for jobs right now.../_

To be closer to someone? While there were still plenty of friends and acquaintances that she would consider being close with, there was a lot of people. Were there any particular ones?

Yosuke had one eye open and noticed that Megumi was in deep thought. "Aren't you thinking too hard on a wish?"

"I'm not done yet," Megumi replied. Speaking of being close to someone, she could wish for the courage to tell the fawn-haired boy her feelings... However, she scrunched up her nose. _/Nah, there are better things to wish for. And I still have my friends even after we apprehended Mitsuo. I wish... I wish that we'll all stay friends, even after I leave Inaba./_ She finally offered her wish by placing some yen in the offering box.

"You're finally done?" The boy stretched out his arms. "So what did you wish for?"

"If you tell someone your wish, it won't come true," Megumi said plainly.

"I don't think it works that way," Yosuke blinked once. "I wished for... Uh... It's complicated."

It was the gray-haired girl's turn to return the owlish look. She could tell that he was shifting out of his typical pervert bravado into something she had kept seeing from him whenever it was just the two. Only now he looked more... wistful?

She quickly thought of an idea. "Let's get away from the crowd for a sec. It's filling up now."

Yosuke looked up and noticed that there were more people than usual. "Oh yeah... Uh... Yeah, I think I need a breather."

Megumi nodded and headed towards the lesser known path towards the back of the large building with the boy right behind her. This part of the shrine wasn't new to her- she helped a little boy collect some bugs from here a while back. Fortunately, it was like a world away from the hustle and bustle of the main street.

Yosuke was accustomed to seeing her hair in loops, but he now noticed something different with one of them. "Are those real flowers?"

"Uh?" The girl stopped and looked at him. She almost forgot about her hair accessory. "Oh, this. No, they're not real, they're actually a gift from a long time ago."

"Oh, really?" The boy was surprised to hear this from her. "It looks brand new."

Megumi wasn't expecting to reveal this part of her past to Yosuke, but it wasn't like she had anything really pressing to hide. Aside from her feelings, of course. "My dad actually won this for me in a game some time ago. I was just a little kid back then. This is actually the second time I wore this."

The boy was fairly surprised when she mentioned her father for the first time. Noticing that his legs were feeling tired and there was a bench nearby, he and Megumi ended up sitting down on it. "You... don't talk about your parents a lot, huh."

This made the girl stop thinking for a moment, confirming his question. "..... Yeah. We're not really on good terms. But, I can't say that I hate them either. It's... complicated."

Yosuke held his silence. After a few minutes, he finally spoke up. "Are those flowers your favorite?"

Megumi was slightly surprised to hear this from him. She never thought that he would be the kind to ask those kinds of questions. But still, it wouldn't hurt to divulge his curiosity. "... Actually, yes. I like most kinds of bellflowers, but the balloon flower is my favorite. It reminds me of... stars. Kinda how they cluster together." She then slightly chuckled to herself. "It sounds weird, but-"

"No," Yosuke shook his head. "Not really, I guess. I can kind of see what you mean though. Uh..." He then cringed, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Man, I don't know why I asked you. That is so not cool of me, this feels like something out of a manga or something."

The girl blinked at his odd behavior at first, but then she broke into giggles. "There's nothing wrong with asking, Yosuke. You can tell me anything, I don't mind."

The boy tried to resist, but he couldn't help but chuckle back. "You... really are something, huh." He shoved his hands back into his pockets, but his face shifted. After a few more moments of silence, he pulled out what looked like a small booklet. "When I was cleaning out my room, I found this."

The lighting around them wasn't great, but Megumi took a closer look at the booklet. It housed a small print club collection, but it had a few stickers of Yosuke with Saki. Seeing these, the gray-haired girl's heart was starting to feel like lead.

"I remember when I first moved here, I hated it so much," Yosuke rambled, his face appearing to be pensive. "But Saki-senpai... She insisted on taking these with me. Everyone saw me as an enemy because they feared that Junes would ruin the shopping district. Y'know, the whole 'Prince of Junes' crap. I don't think she meant it back then, but she helped me up by saying 'parents are parents, you're you'."

Megumi kept forgetting that even though he was here first, Yosuke had only been in Inaba for almost a year now. The feelings he had for Saki would still be there, despite everything that happened to her and what they found out after her death. While this particular subject made her chest hurt, she chose to soldier on and listen to him. His feelings were more important right now.

Despite it all, Yosuke's hands tightened into fists and he began to sniffle. "Dammit... I want to know why she had to die... Or maybe, I just wanted to forget about her and try to move on and forget that I actually hate this town. That's why I jumped right into the murder case, but..." Unable to speak momentarily, his tears fell and he silently sobbed. "S-shit... I'm sorry... Megumi..."

The girl immediately shook her head. "No, you don't have to apologize-"

"But, it's all my fault," Yosuke stopped her. "I got you involved and you had to see me like this and it's all stupid and-"

Yosuke was interrupted when he suddenly found himself in a hug from Megumi. She had her arms around him and placed her head on his chest. It hurt her to see him like this, at his vulnerable state. She wasn't even sure what had compelled her to go for it, but regardless, she knew that he needed a hug. "... That doesn't matter. You... You will move on, at your own pace. If you ever need anything, I'll be here. Okay?"

The boy was at a loss for words. His breathing became slightly erratic, but he eventually calmed down. Megumi could feel his heart beating, followed by the steady rise and fall of his chest. She noticed that he slowly placed his arms around her shoulders, holding her close and burying his face into her shoulder. The warmth had enveloped her once again and although she felt mildly selfish for indulging at this moment, she knew that he needed someone to confide in.

Yosuke eventually spoke up after his tears dried up. "... Thanks, partner. You're the best."

"I try," Megumi replied, letting go of him. "Feeling better?"

"Y-yeah..." The boy removed his arms from her as well and rubbed his eyes. "I think I'll be okay. But uh... I think I want a candy apple. You want one?"

The girl slowly broke into a smile. "Sure... I haven't had one in years."

"Alright," Yosuke had recovered and got up from his seat. "I'll be back!" He then took off for the main street, not looking back.

Megumi watched him run off and the smile on her face soon returned to neutral position. She also noticed that he took the booklet with him. She then resolved to put her feelings on hold for as long as she could. Yosuke was still struggling to cope with Saki's death, among other reasons that were personal to the gray-haired girl. As long as they could remain as friends, that was all that mattered. Sometimes, being a teenager with feelings on top of everything else was frustrating.

Suddenly, Megumi heard a sound and some rustling from the nearby bushes. She looked around and then blinked once. She could have sworn it, but she thought she saw some sort of animal... Did it have an apron on?

"I'm back! And look who I brought with me!"

Her head picked up and she now noticed that Yosuke wasn't alone as he brought their friends over.

"Sensei! Did Yosuke make you wait for long?!" Teddie shouted, running up to her. "I kept telling him it's rude to do that!"

"Don't worry, Teddie, I didn't wait long," Megumi waved him off. "But that did take a little longer, Yosuke. Was there a long line?"

"Sort of?" Yosuke shrugged, but he handed her the candy apple. "There was someone who was trying to buy a lot of them..."

"He was also doing something near the offering box an-" Kanji was interrupted when the boy in question shot him a glare. "And, uh... Said another prayer! Yeah!"

"Oh yeah?" Megumi said, brushing off the suspicious words. "Well, it's dark enough out here. Aren't the fireworks gonna start soon?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Chie realized. "It's a good thing that you picked this spot. It's a really good view of the sky!"

"There you are, Megumi!"

"Big Sis!"

Megumi's head picked up to two voices and turned her head to the left, seeing Nanako and Dojima walking up to them.

"I see that you picked a more secluded spot," Dojima commented. "Good idea, it's getting really crowded out on the main street and the floodplain."

"I-is that a candy apple, Big Sis?!" Nanako eyed the treat in her older cousin's hand.

Megumi nodded and smiled. "Want a bite?"

"Yeah!" The little girl sat down on the bench and took a generous bite out of the candy apple.

Whenever everyone settled on a position, some rumblings could be heard. Suddenly, the sky welcomed the first firework bursts. As everyone watched the show mesmerized, the blooms danced in a variety of colors.

"Pretty...!" Yukiko said but was startled when Chie started to cheer loudly.

Teddie also shouted some incoherent things into the sky as well, which encouraged Nanako to follow his example. Yosuke, however, tried to dissuade the little girl while Megumi was giggling over the small situation.

"This is amazing!" Rise shouted in excitement.

"Yeah..." Megumi whispered, mostly to herself. "... Let's come back and do this again next year."

The night rolled on, with the climax of the firework show built up to a crescendo finale. To the gray-haired girl, she wouldn't have this moment any other way.

~*~

**Sunday, August 21st 2011**

 

Megumi originally did not have plans to attend the second day of the Summer Festival, but she received a call from Yori. She remembered that she hasn't seen him much since the study party, but he reassured her that he was mostly busy with studying for college entrance exams.

She and her friends stayed out late last night, which that meant that she still had the yukata from yesterday. Yukiko didn't appear to object to letting her have it overnight, on a promise that it would be returned soon. With that in mind, the girl shrugged and decided to don the garment once again.

When she arrived at Tatsuhime Shrine, she was greeted by Ayane and Yori. The short first-year chose to wear a yukata as well, which was in red and white colors. Yori wore casual clothes, with a splatter fox print on his shirt and simple blue jeans.

"Ah, Megumi-san..." Yori warmly greeted the girl. "It has been a while."

"It has," Megumi nodded, then she looked over to Ayane. "Nice yukata, it reminds me of apples."

"Heehee, thank you, Megumi-senpai!" Ayane couldn't help but giggle despite blushing. "I actually have a weird affinity for apples... I hope we can get some candy apples soon."

"Oh, that reminds me..." the quiet boy took a good look at Megumi's outfit. "... That is a lovely yukata. It reminds me of... river streams? With a touch of grace? ... It's actually quite difficult to explain."

The gray-haired girl blinked once. "Is it? I actually don't wear blue very often." She then changed the subject with a smile. "So, where should we hit first?"

After some deliberating, the music club trio first sampled some food. Megumi didn't mind as much since she didn't get a chance to eat most of the food yesterday. When they had found a spot to sit down and eat, they mingled in conversation.

"Have you been practicing, Ayane?" Megumi asked, looking at her dark-haired friend.

The first-year nodded, albeit with an unsure smile. "I've been starting to practice out in the riverbank on my own, but... I'm still nervous. School is going to start again soon, but..."

Yori offered her a gentle smile. "But you're such a hard worker, Ayane-san... You deserve the chance to perform with the rest of our club members."

"You... think so, Senpai?" Ayane couldn't help but flush. Regardless, she opened up a little with her earnest smile. "Thank you very much, you two...!"

"Of course..." the quiet boy nodded. "I'm sorry that I have not been able to help you two with practice... Being a third-year is a little tiresome these days."

Megumi glanced at him. "College entrance exams?"

"Hm... More of... thinking about the future actually," Yori admitted, giving a tired smile. "To be honest, I'm not sure what I am doing with my life..."

Both of the girls reacted with a blink while they stared at their senpai. To Megumi, this was new. She did recall that he was from Inaba, but he didn't even know the area completely. With this revelation, there was much more to him than it appeared.

"Oh..." He noticed the looks on their faces. "It's quite alright... I'll be fine, you two. Now... shall we check what the game booths have to offer?"

Despite their concern for him, the girls could only nod in agreement and play some of the games. It was usual summer festival fare- target practice, getting the goldfish, etc. When Ayane was clearly struggling with the targets game...

"Yori...?"

All three teenagers turned around and saw an old man leaning on a cane. Megumi immediately recognized him, clearly surprised to see him again. "Hisashi-san..."

Hisashi then noticed the girl and gave her a warm smile. "Ah, it's Megumi-chan... It has been a while, my dear. I did not know that you and my grandson are friends."

 _/..... Really?!/_ The gray-haired girl blinked once and looked back and forth between Yori and Hisashi. Now that she thought about it, they do possess similar features.

"Ah... Hello, Grandfather," Yori greeted the old man. "I... I didn't think you would be able to leave the house this evening."

"Yes," Hisashi's smile faltered slightly. "... To be honest, I was hesitant about coming. But then I thought, what would your grandmother think if I just stayed home? I'd never hear the end of it." The old man chuckled hollowly.

Yori frowned instead. "Grandfather..."

Undeterred, Hisashi looked over at Megumi once again. "Your friend reminds me of her... Her hair was much more of an inky black, but she was such a lovely girl. She always looked good in anything she wore, including yukata. I still remember the first time I asked her to the Summer Festival a long time ago..."

Megumi watched the old man carefully, noticing the rather lingering but sad smile on his face. Judging from the comments between him and Yori, Hisashi's wife may have passed away some time ago.

"..... Oh," Hisashi blinked once, realizing another friend in Yori's company. "My apologies, Miss. I have failed to ask for your name. Are you in elementary school, by any chance...?"

Ayane appeared slightly annoyed by the comment, but she bit her tongue out of respect. "N-no I'm not, sir... My name is Ayane Matsunaga and I'm their kouhai. B-but it's nice to meet you!"

"Ah, my apologies, Ayane-chan..." the old man seemed to recall something. "Oh yes... You are the little girl that is practicing the trombone over in the floodplain now and then." He then turned to Yori. "By the way, Yori... I noticed that you had discarded your musical books. Was it because of...?"

The quiet boy choked back a gasp, but his face twisted with sadness. "I-I'm sorry..."

Hisashi gave a small sigh but tried to return his smile. "Do not let them bring you down... Ah, but perhaps I should let you three be... Please, enjoy your time here and make new memories, okay?" With the same smile, he turned and walked away.

Megumi looked up at the older boy again. There was something going on with him, that much was certain. She also wondered what Hisashi meant by 'them'. Was he having problems with someone at home? His parents? Or... did he really lose interest in music?

Yori then noticed that Megumi and even Ayane was staring at him. "... Oh..." He looked down at the ground. "Sorry about that... My grandfather is right though, let's continue to enjoy ourselves." He raised his head back up in a feeble attempt to smile.

To Megumi, however, she could see pain through that facade. While the rest of the night was enjoyable, a part of her couldn't help but worry about her friend. There had to be more to him.

~*~

**Monday, August 21st 2011**

 

Marie was, at worst, a really pushy amnesiac girl. But at the same time, Megumi would admit to herself that the poet was also someone who wanted her memories back in order to understand herself better. The gray-haired girl certainly couldn't argue with that. Since the time she agreed to help Marie find her memories, they had met up a few times to search for clues. Even some of Megumi's friends that formed the Investigation Team offered to pitch in their help.

What they've learned was from an old bamboo comb that Marie carried around. According to select sources, the comb was old and could be a rarity. It couldn't be considered a gift due to an ancient belief that its own kanji literally meant 'separation'. The bamboo itself was also rare. Unfortunately, Marie also began to suffer from painful headaches whenever they learn something new.

"Ow...!"

Megumi gasped when Marie placed her hand on her temple. They went to the Samegawa floodplain to think of another plan to find the missing memories, but... "You alright?"

"... Does it look like it?" The poet grumbled. "I thought... I thought I remembered something, but... It went away again. Why?!"

"Now that you mentioned it, every time we learn something new about that comb, your head starts to hurt. And it's hurting now 'cause you're trying to remember, right?" Megumi looked around the riverbank. It was practically empty and despite Marie's mild protests, she had the two sit down on the grassy hill. "Don't try to strain yourself."

The poet gave a quick glare to her friend. "But I'm trying to remember, you stupid circle-haired jerk! Why does this keep happening?! I just want to remember who I am...!" She looked like she was on the verge of tears, but the anger was more palpable.

Megumi had no choice but to stay silent for a moment. She couldn't relate to Marie's predicament, but for something like this to happen was very unusual. After waiting for several minutes, the poet began to breathe normally.

"..... You doing better now?" Megumi asked.

"... Sort of," Marie mumbled. "This is a lot more frustrating then you finding my poems..."

"That wasn't intentional," the gray-haired girl frowned.

"... That's what makes it so annoying. Trying to find my memory, then headaches, my poems scattering... What does all of this mean?" She then realized something and stopped herself. "..... Scattering..."

Megumi recognized the glint in her friend's eye. "I sense another Marie poem coming."

For once, Marie's tongue did not lash out. Instead, she created poetry from thin air. "... Little leaves scattering in the wind... Although no longer a part of the whole, they dance in the air... Where do we go? Where are we fated? The wind won't leave us alone... And so, we dance and dance and dance... Until we are left behind too."

Megumi noted that the poem Marie just recited was somewhat relatable, but she mostly connected it to the current situation. More importantly, she realized that the overall tone was frustration. Once one had set out on finding what they were looking for, how much did they had to lose before gaining?

 _/..... This is getting too deep. Still.../_ "We've come this far. You're not giving up, are you?"

However, Marie's silence was deafening. "... I... don't know... My head hurts a lot. I wanna go home. Can you take me home?"

"... Yeah. Remember to take it easy, okay?"

~*~

**Tuesday, August 23rd 2011**

 

As everyone kept their promise last month, the day to head for the beach had arrived in form of a beautiful day. Everyone had met up at Moel to make preparations and making sure they had all they need. Once everything was set, the teenagers had begun the long trek to the beach.

After much complaining from Rise, the Investigation Team had managed to reach their destination. The excitement on their faces was visible, and Megumi was no exception. She had never visited a beach before, with her face fresh of anticipation. However, when she looked at her side mirror, Kanji and Teddie were more excited as they had managed to power their way past the scooter riders.

Upon arriving, the teenagers agreed to get their swimsuits on. Chie and Yukiko appeared to have become somewhat accustomed to the bathing suits that Yosuke had bought them for the camping trip. Megumi decided to stick with the one piece that her uncle bought her beforehand, trying to get over the fact that she would probably get stared at. Once again, she fashioned her hair in the two twin tails.

"Oh, Megumi-senpai," Rise spoke up after she and Megumi finished getting dressed.

"Hm?"

"I'm surprised that you're wearing a one piece," the idol said. "But it looks good on you. It especially shows off your legs."

"Uh... Thanks...?" Megumi scratched her temple with her index finger, wearing an unsure look. Her kouhai has her confidence in spades.

By the time all four girls reached the beach, they noticed a rather fidgety Yosuke and an excitable Teddie waiting near the water. The fawn-haired boy's jaw began to drop while the bear grinned.

"W-wow...!" Yosuke drawled. "Dude. This is awesome...!"

Chie blushed while frowning. "W-what're you gawking at?! You guys should be in the water already!"

"Besides, you've seen us in these before..." Megumi muttered, the blush on her face apparent.

"It's so sweet though, thanks for waiting on us," Rise smiled.

"C-can we go into the water now...?" Yukiko asked shyly.

Teddie began to speak up, his excitement barely contained in the inner tube he had sported. "Megumi-sensei, Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, and Rise-chan all win the Ladies of Summer competition...! I have a feeling that if I'm surrounded by such mermaids, I'll have my chance at a summer romance!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep dreaming," Chie grumbled.

The gray-haired girl blinked once at the bear's words. While it wasn't the first time Yosuke had seen her in a swimsuit, it was for Teddie... She could tell that he was definitely checking her out. Before anyone could declare going into the water, she noticed that someone was missing. "... Uh, where's Kanji?"

"Yeah, I just noticed that he isn't here," Rise spoke up.

"He's gotta be worn out from all that biking," Yosuke said.

Yukiko then noticed the taller boy walking up to them. "Oh... There he is." However, she turned her head away.

Megumi noticed this from the raven-haired girl, but she figured out why shortly. When Kanji approached the group, his swimsuit left little to the imagination... She couldn't help but turn her head away in an attempt to not stare at him.

"Dude!" Yosuke shrieked, getting all embarrassed. "The hell is that?!"

"The hell's what?" Kanji said, confused by everyone's reaction.

"Your swimsuit! What else am I talking about?!"

"... Dude, it's your basic black."

"Uh... I don't think that's the point, Kanji..." Megumi mumbled, having a hard time keeping eye contact.

"Jeez, I'm seeing stuff I don't need to see!" Yosuke shouted.

Kanji intensified his frown. "Y-you're the only one that's saying it!"

"Hey, wait..." Rise spoke up, noticing that something was off. "How come you're not getting a nosebleed over me, Kanji?"

"Wha-?" He looked at the idol with a confused look on his face. "Why would I do that?"

"Excuse me?!"

The chatter had turned into a shouting match between Yosuke, Rise, and Kanji. Teddie sighed with mild irritation and ended up deciding on something. "I just wanna go into the water... Forget them, let's go! Let's be mermaids!"

Before Megumi knew it, Teddie had dashed off and jumped into the water with vigor. Chie reacted with shock before running after him. "Hey! Wait for us!"

Both Yukiko and Megumi looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "I say we ditch them, Yukiko. Wanna learn how to swim?"

~*~

It had been a very enjoyable few hours for the teenagers as they swam around the beach. Megumi spent a chunk of it helping Yukiko on how to swim and maneuver in the water while Teddie cheered them on in his inner tube. Chie and Kanji were racing each other in friendly competition. Yosuke was plenty busy pushing Rise in her own inner tube, with the idol shouting orders at him.

To the team leader, this proved to be yet another enjoyable moment with her friends. She certainly wouldn't mind coming back here with all of them again one day.

Yosuke had called her out of the water for a moment, mentioning that he found a vending machine. "You want a soda, Megumi?"

"Sure," the girl smiled.

However, both teenagers heard Yukiko shriek, followed by Rise's complaint of her bikini's string coming undone. Chie shouted out loud, "Hey, Teddie! Watch the hands, pal!"

"Aw, c'mon, ladies! I think we're due for an 'accident'..." The bear giggled.

 _/..... Seriously, Teddie?/_ A part of Megumi was relieved that she wasn't in the water at this moment.

"What is that bear doing?" Yosuke groaned.

"Whooooaaa!" Kanji shouted out loud in surprise.

"..... I think he's taking after you," Megumi said, slightly frowning.

Yosuke shot her an incredulous look. "You think I would do that?!"

Megumi normally would have something ready, but she had to stop for a second. Now that she thought about it... "Hmm... You'd think about it, at least."

"Wha- Megumi!"

"Did I get it right? He does live with you, so-"

"Got you, you little bastard!"

Megumi was interrupted by Kanji's loud voice. She noticed that he was getting out of the water with Teddie in tow. However, her danger senses tingled in her spine and she quickly turned around. Her face took on a bright shade of red and she knelt down, completely avoiding to look at Kanji at all costs.

"Megumi, what's wr-" Yosuke figured out why she did that when he realized the situation and he turned away. "Dude! What the hell are you doing?! Not cool!"

"But Senpai, this damn bear here-"

"Wait! Stop! Time out!" The fawn-haired boy began to freak out. "L-... Look down!"

"H-huh? Wha-?" Kanji did as he was told and immediately realized the predicament he was in. "Holy shit! My swimsuit! I'm having a wardrobe malfunction!!"

"Gyaaaaah! I give up, I give up!" Teddie flailed around and was starting to panic.

"Dude, what're you doing?! You gotta cover up!" Yosuke shouted.

"I'm not turning around, I'm not turning around, I'm so not gonna turn around!" Megumi shouted, growing more embarrassed by the situation.

"Y-yeah, don't turn around, Megumi-senpai!" Kanji barked, clearly unnerved.

"Nooooo!" Teddie was still flailing around and he nearly slipped out of the taller boy's grasp.

However, Kanji still has a firm hold on him. "Hey, stay still! You run off and I'm toast!"

"B-but if I stick around here, my dignity will be in ruins...!"

"Wh-what about me?!" Megumi shouted. "There's a naked guy behind me!"

"Hey, why don't we take a break?"

The guys and Megumi could hear Yukiko proposing a break. This threw them into a greater urgency when Teddie limped in defeat. "I... I could hear the harps..."

"Shit! They're getting out of the water!" Yosuke's voice was literally strained with the panic building up.

"Uh... Um..." Megumi tried to formulate a plan calmly, but any attempts at calming down were thrown out the window. There was only one thing she could do. "I-I'm gonna stall them! Find a damn towel or something!"

"B-but, Senpai-"

"Megumi, but-"

"Shut up! Do it! Now!" The girl boldly got up and squeezed her eyes tight. Turning around, she bolted forward as fast as she could. She accidentally bumped into Kanji, which caused him to drop Teddie. With more yelling from the boys, she opened her eyes when she felt her toes touching the water. The trio of Chie, Yukiko, and Rise looked at her with confused looks. "Back in the water!"

"Huh? What's wrong, Megumi-chan?" The short-haired girl blinked, getting dragged back in by the gray-haired girl.

"But I need to reapply sunscreen...!" Rise protested.

"... A few minutes. Just wait a few minutes. There's a, uh..." Megumi scrambled to find the words to keep the girls distracted. "... Uh... Y-Yosuke is gonna treat us to some drinks! He's gonna take a few minutes, so, uh... W-why don't we stay in here for a bit?"

"That is nice of him," Yukiko said. "But my legs are starting to get tired from all that swimming..."

"And I want some steak!" Chie pouted.

"I'm surprised you're not helping him, Megumi-senpai," Rise spoke up. "Is he gonna surprise you too? That's awfully sweet of him."

"Uh..." The team leader couldn't help but dip her body further into the water and blushed again. She hoped that she bought the guys enough time before the girls, especially Rise, really started to complain.

~*~

_/...../_

"... What the hell."

Megumi tried to form more coherent words, but nothing else could come forward. She expected Kanji to be in a towel or be back in his swimsuit. Instead, he wrapped his lower half with... seaweed.

"... What am I suppose to say to this...?" Chie said in a low voice.

"Uh..." Yosuke scrambled his words while beads of sweat were forming on his head. "W-we're reenacting the Birth of Venus...?"

"Y-yeah!" Kanji shouted, holding in a pose. He was also towering over a passed out Teddie. "I-I'm ready to be born, dammit!"

_/..... You seriously couldn't find a towel?/_

Deciding that the situation was too awkward, Megumi decided to call out a familiar battle strategy for her female friends. "Retreat!"

Upon this declaration, she and the other girls ran back into the water. Rise shouted to Kanji, "You sicko!"

With all of the girls safely back in the water, Megumi hoped that they would try again in finding Kanji's swimsuit. It was a difficult battle won. ... Or so she thought to herself.

Thankfully, Kanji ended up finding his swimsuit before the day was over. The team had gathered around and played in the sand for a moment. It was during this that Yosuke suggested the idea of them visiting a ski lodge during the winter. Megumi was certainly open to the idea. Not only would she get to spend more with them, but it has also been a while since she went skiing. Although that was time spent with some of her relatives years ago.

Despite the wardrobe malfunction and barely escaping the embarrassment of seeing a naked guy, Megumi honestly enjoyed her day at the beach.

~*~

**Wednesday, August 31st 2011**

 

It was the last day of summer vacation. Megumi couldn't believe how much time had passed since then. But if one were to ask her, this was probably the best summer vacation she ever had in her life. In the final day, Dojima received a watermelon and called Nanako to tell her. To celebrate the last day and to have a chance to play with the little girl, Megumi invited the Investigation Team over to her house to split the watermelon.

Dojima, however, brought home the watermelon already cut up and shared with the neighbors. Despite Nanako's annoyance that she didn't get to split the watermelon, she enjoyed herself with the company of her dad, her cousin and all of her friends.

It was dusk by the time everyone went home and Nanako went to take a nap. Dojima and Megumi recuperated in the living room, with the girl enjoying the sunset and hearing the cicadas chirping.

"Hey, Megumi," the gruff detective looked over at his niece. "I want to thank you."

"Hm?" the girl turned her head at her uncle. "For what?"

"For today. Well, more like... For what you've done for us so far. I haven't seen Nanako in high spirits for a long time. With the case finally solved, maybe we can..." He trailed off, stopping his train of thought. "Heh, well. I'll think of something for all three of us later on."

"That would be nice," Megumi smiled. Especially since the case was solved, Dojima was more relaxed nowadays. It became much easier for the uncle and his niece to talk more often. Even with the lingering guilt of his wife's death, the detective felt much more at ease and was seeing the gray-haired girl more as a second daughter. This was compounded by the company she kept, with them going as far as keeping Nanako company.

With that in mind, Dojima smiled. "You know, Megumi... You really made some great friends."

The girl was mentally taken back by that statement, eventually melting into a smile of her own. "... I think so too. Thanks, Uncle."

With the sun setting peacefully, Megumi was looking forward to a new tomorrow.

 


End file.
